


We're All In This Together

by Ella (ellabellachicketychella)



Series: why do the stars shine so bright [18]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aliens With Human Names, Darker Themes Than Usual, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Interviews, Keith (Voltron) Is Trying, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance (Voltron) is a Good Friend, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, M/M, Minor Character Death, Team Voltron Family, Violence, Voltron Coalition
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:54:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 32,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28405074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellabellachicketychella/pseuds/Ella
Summary: The key to taking down Zarkon, is strong alliances. People to rely on. People who will help fight the battles that they can't fight alone. As their numbers increase, more and more people ally with Voltron and join the coalition. It's hard not to hope. It's hard not to hope that one day, everything can and will be alright.One day. They, and everyone else fighting can finally go home.But first. They need people on their side.---“The war will never be over!” Shiro yelled, “It can’t be. War is a state of mind, it’ll never be over. Ever. Until everyone who knew about this war is dead, the war isn’t over.”“We— just need to defeat Zarkon…”
Relationships: Allura & Coran & Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: why do the stars shine so bright [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979423
Comments: 73
Kudos: 124





	1. hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! If this is your first part of the series, hey! Nice to meet you. This is a fairly good place to start the series, you don't need a lot of background information for these parts. But I would recommend reading from the start, it's a lot of words but some of the things don't make much sense without reading the entire series. The first part is, [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27118214/chapters/66220286), if you'd like to read it. If not, I'd at least recommend having read '[Forever and a Bit Longer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28272351)' as they talk about those events quite extensively here.
> 
> Another thing is Lulio, he's quite relevant, and introduced in '[We Must Still Go On](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27364423/chapters/66867037)' I'd recommend reading that if you have no idea who Lulio is, he's one of my main OC's and my favourite ever, and lots of people appear to enjoy him. Hence why he made an appearance here.
> 
> T.W / Content Warnings: Talks of underage sex, brothels, kidnapping, implied rape/non con, violence against a child and death of a child.
> 
> If you don't want to read this chapter, that's completely okay. There will be a recap at the end of the chapter if you don't want to read this with all the triggers and potentially harmful content in here. This is the heaviest that this part ever goes, and from hear it's all much lighter. However, they're fighting in a war. It's bound to hurt someone.
> 
> Please be careful, and enjoy the chapter!

In Keith’s defence, he didn’t mean to punch the Prince. He was being an asshole and Keith threw hands. What was less than great was that both Keith and Lance had managed to get themselves banned from the planet. The entire planet.

It was something that required an immense amount of disrespect. While the lecture he’d gotten from Allura and Shiro had almost made it not worth it, seeing Pidge, Hunk and Lance smile so brightly that their faces should’ve split in half did.

He hadn’t gotten any time to talk to Lance since… well. It was complicated, really, complicated. What was Keith supposed to do knowing that some of the stuff that made Lance alive had combined with his own lifeforce, Lance had some of Keith’s lifeforce? It was weird. It was a weird situation. They were barely adults, and yet they were basically tied together forever?

“What are you brooding about?” Lance asked, hopping over the couch and landing right next to him. “Did you eat another lemon?”

“No. I did not.”

“So… we probably need to discuss this whole Quintessence thing and considering the responsible adults aren’t here, now’s probably the time. Coran and Lotor are here, and Lotor’s… in a cell and Coran is sorting through some books in the library.” Lance sprawled out across the couch, his head on one of the armrests. “So… where do we start?”

“What did you do to Meanno?” Keith asked, his recollection was blurry at best, because he’d been in a world of pain, and hadn’t been able to focus on anything but that pain, which seemed to split him right open. 

Lance hummed, moving so his legs were hooked over the back of the couch, and his head was hanging off slightly. "I think I manipulated his Quintessence."

"You what?" Keith stared at Lance, waiting for him to say that he was kidding. His face didn't change at all. "Lance!"

"I know, I know."

"What that he was kidding but he didn’t say anything. Just stared up at the roof, glancing at Keith and glancing away. “Lance.”

“I know, I know, it just sorta happened.”

“Lance.”

“Yes, Keith. I know! You don’t need to say that for the fifteenth time.”

“So what happened?” Keith asked, and Lance looked at him lazily. “After Meanno did whatever he did.”

“Uh, I grabbed you and went to Red. Jiroteo stopped me and we talked for a bit, and then he gave me this thing so that we can talk to him… maybe Meanno too, I don’t really know though.”

“Right,” Keith screwed up his face. “Could we talk now?”

“Um.” Lance sat up, spinning around so he was sitting upright on the couch, like a normal person. “Crap, let me go find it.” He stood up, brushing off his pants before walking off, mumbling something under his breath.

Keith sat there.

Right. Okay.

Everything about this made sense, everything. Everything. Instead of having too many thoughts Keith laid down on the couch, covering his face with his hands as his brain struggled to catch up with everything that had happened.

How did Meanno and Jiroteo know that they were bonded? It still didn’t explain the lullabies, and why did Jiroteo seem to regret the bond that much? Why didn’t Meanno and Jiroteo know anything about the war? There were a thousand questions that Keith would’ve asked rather than try to befriend people.

He still couldn’t figure out when it happened, when all the weird stuff started. When had their souls, or Quintessence, or whatever bonded? Because that seemed like something crucial to know.

Lance eventually came back in, holding a small electronic looking thing carefully held in both hands. He placed it on the floor before sitting down next to Keith. “Jiroteo and Meanno,” he said.

There was a green flash, a small one. 

A familiar face popped up on the screen, Jiroteo, with his light purple skin, and his eyes… one brown and one a bright blue that seemed to sparkle. His right eye was the sparkling blue, and his left eye was a dark brown. With fluffy ears and almost fuzzy looking skin that Keith had learnt to associate with Galra he looked at the pair of them.

Jiroteo sighed, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing,” Lance defended, his hands in the air. “We just wanted to talk.”  
  


“Right,” Jiroteo narrowed his eyes. “Meanno is having a tantrum in our room. He’s still bitter about the Quintessence thing.”

“Fair enough,” Lance hummed. “Keithers, the floor is yours.”

“Don’t—” Keith sighed before looking at Jiroteo. “I have a bunch of questions and I’m not leaving until they’re answered.”

“Right,” Jiroteo sighed, rubbing at his face. “Of course you won’t.” He sighed again before looking up at Keith, “Right, go for it.”

“Like all at once?” Keith asked.

“Might as well get this over with.”

“Right, right,” Keith nodded, racking his brain for all the questions that he had trapped in his brain for the past while. “Why are your eyes like that? Why don’t you know about the war? Do you know Zarkon, or does Meanno… who’s Honerva? How did you know that we were… bonded? There have been lullabies, what are they? Also, why do you both regret the bond so much and why does Lance know how to manipulate someone’s Quintessence?”

Jiroteo blinked. Keith had basically said that in one breath.

“Right,” Jiroteo looked up, like he was thinking. “Our eyes are like that because… well it’s kinda simple. My left eye got a sword in it, so Meanno healed it and it turned brown. When Meanno got slashed in his right eye I healed it and it turned blue. So we carry one another's eye, but not really. Sometimes I can see through his eyes and he can see through mine.”

Lance was sitting on the edge of his seat, basically nodding at every word. While Keith sat back in his seat, arms crossed and legs resting underneath him. Watching between Lance and Jiroteo.

“Meanno and I are in self-exile.”

“Huh?”

Jiroteo took a deep breath, “Meanno and I were sent out on for Altea, we were supposed to infiltrate a rival planet’s trading sector and scope it out. Which we did, everything went slightly wrong. I got captured and Meanno got injured… I was captured for a couple of days, I was thrown around a bit, got some scars from it.”

Keith was actually interested in this story now, and leant forwards, watching Jiroteo’s face flicker through a whole array of emotions. Mostly disgust. 

“It wasn’t good, is what I’m trying to say. I had information and people wanted it… Meanno must’ve felt the pain through the bond, and knew where I was.”

Lance actually looked more interested than Keith, and was basically off the couch now.

“Then he showed up, the ground was cracking around him. Things were being torn out of the ground and his eyes were glowing green. Things were being thrown, and I knew that he was going to get me out… no matter the cost. And he did,” Jiroteo’s eyes became slightly teary, “He got me out, and the cost was almost an entire continent being ripped in half… so many people died.”

Jiroteo stopped with a loud sniff, turning his back around for a while, until he managed to turn around with a fake smile plastered on his face.

“So, never again, we hid on one of the moons of Lukzuza, a long abandoned planet at that point. Meanno did some alchemy to keep us alive… and I set up something to track Quintessence bonds as we agreed that there would be accidental ones— like ours… and if they were even half as powerful they’d be able to do a world of damage. That’s why we regret it and that’s why we knew.”

He took a deep breath, “Meanno sent the lullabies, they were another clue to alert you something was wrong and weird. They were supposed to relax you so you were more likely to be able to access the dream-scape and figure out something was wrong.”

“Dreamscapes,” Lance said, like that was a normal thing to start a conversation with, “How do those work.”  
  


“When you’re in need of comfort,” Jiroteo said, “Whether homesickness, or wanting to relax even more… stress, stress is how we enter ours most of the time. Especially now, we’ve missed… so much and with Zarkon—” he trailed off, before sighing deeply. “That was another question, wasn’t it?”

Lance nodded for him.

Jiroteo ran his fingers through his hair, huffing slightly. “We both knew Zarkon… Meanno and I… we were both old compared to him. I trained him in some combat when he was very young,” he smiled fondly, “Barely tall enough to meet my knees, and holding a sword— maybe I should’ve figured out something was wrong then… if what you say is true.”

Keith went to defend himself and Lance, but Lance just put a hand on his thigh. A fleeting touch, if that, but it managed to make Keith quiet and look at Jiroteo, praying that he wasn’t turning bright red.

“Zarkon’s parents… weren’t in the picture, they were some of the leaders of Daibazaal and didn’t have much time for their son. They only found time if they were being cruel, and talking about what Zarkon should’ve done better, so for a short while I took Zarkon under my wing.”

Jiroteo laughed, “I couldn’t go to Altea and Meanno because Altea and Daibazaal were in a conflict, but when it got resolved. Zarkon and I went over to Altea, where Zarkon met Alfor and Honerva.”

Keith relaxed a little bit, leaning back into his chair. “Honerva was Meanno’s equivalent of Zarkon, except they were as close as close could be, Meanno essentially adopted her. Honerva’s parents weren’t around, at all, so Meanno had cared for her. She was brilliant, one of the best Altean alchemists ever, of her time and beyond… maybe only to be matched by Alfor’s first-born, Agedar.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lance waved a hand, “We know about Alfor and his life story. I want to hear about Zarkon’s life story.”

“Meanno and I spent time together, and since Honerva and Zarkon followed us around, they also spent time together. Then they spent time with Alfor and later Gyrga, Trigel and Blaytz. They were all childhood friends, then Zarkon and his friends would go on… adventures, and cause some trouble… Voltron was started there, before there were lions. Just five friends, having fun, doing good for the sake of it.” Jiroteo smiled softly, “Then they got a bit older, young adults, teenagers, whatever you want to call them… and Zarkon started seeing one of his best friends in a different light.”

“Which bestfriend?” Lance asked, “Was Zarkon gay for Alfor?”

“No, no,” Jiroteo smiled, “Zarkon thought Honerva was brilliant, and she was. But in a few more ways than Meanno and I thought she was brilliant… then there was the meteor and Alfor made the lions with the help of his own wife. All I knew was that there was a debate whether to close the rift, then Meanno and I were sent to the planet and… we never came back.”

Lance nodded slowly, and Keith hummed. His arms crossed.

“Does Zarkon have any weaknesses?” Keith asked and Lance slapped him in the arm. “What?”  
  


“You don’t ask someone’s father figure, how to kill their surrogate son.”

“Zarkon’s a psycho,” Keith argued, “Anyway… Zarkon from before and now are basically two different people, it’s probably not relevant,” he turned back to Jiroteo who was smiling into his hand, trying to smother the smile down. “What are his weaknesses?”

“It’s quite simple,” Jiroteo said, a smile teasing on his lips and Lance looked slightly appalled, but Keith was intrigued. “He doesn’t protect his front.”

“What?”

“If someone who he trusts is in front of him, he won’t even be looking. Say for example, him and I would be fighting someone in front of us and he would be too busy watching his back to watch his front. It was a habit I never corrected… just in case,” Jiroteo smiled brightly, “I do that with everyone I train.”

“That’s smart,” Keith grinned back, “I’d do the same but I don’t want these idiots getting hurt.”

“No, no, no, you train them well enough they won’t get hurt. But always have a weakness to exploit if you need. Honerva did some training with me— what did happen to her?”

“Huh?”

“She was pregnant… and there was debate on whether it was actually Zarkon’s child or not. I wasn’t around, if I remember correctly the rumours said that it probably wasn’t Zarkon’s child. But rumors are still rumours, it was probably his, they were devoted to each other. A bond that could’ve become like Meanno’s and mine.”

“Um,” Lance started and Keith shrugged. “She must’ve died… we don’t know a Honerva, if she was Altean it was possible that she was lost with Altea.”

“A shame,” Jiroteo sighed, “She was an impeccable woman and if that child was half as brilliant the universe would have to watch it’s back. What happened to Alfor’s children… if you’re aware of what happened.”

“Oh,” Lance grinned, “Princess Allura and Royal Advisor Coran, they’re both alive… some of Alfor’s other children may be alive… we don’t know, they could’ve also been lost with Altea.” His tone became slightly upset at the end.

Jiroteo hummed, “It is a shame… Alfor created the lions for his children to take over piloting them one day, it was a sad affair, watching him manipulate his children to conform to what each lion represented.”

Keith stared for a long moment, blinking a few times being confused into the silence. “He did what?”

“Alfor was a good man… but he had his flaws, he wanted the greatness for his children that he himself never got. So he threw whatever he needed to aside, so that his children were the best. At whatever they did, they needed to be the best.”

“What do you mean?” Lance asked, tilting his head.

Jiroteo sighed again, “Agedar, the oldest, had to be the best at Altean alchemy. Aldmor, the next oldest, had to be the best at fighting. Aanwas had to be the best at archery and poisons, things like that. No matter what the royal siblings did, they had to be the best. “Allura, she had to be the best negotiator, the perfect princess in every sense of the word. While Abril, the youngest, she had to be the best with technology. They weren’t allowed to be half-good at something, they needed to be the best.”

“And being the best got them killed,” Keith added gloomily.

“It is likely,” Jiroteo said, “I reckon Agedar, Aldmor and Abril would’ve stayed until the last moment… thinking they could’ve saved Altea from whatever it was. Aanwas would probably too. Allura seems like she was the only one smart enough to leave.”

“The Alteans could be alive,” Lance added, more hopeful than Keith would’ve ever managed. “We know that Agedar didn’t fall with Altea, and that he went… somewhere with Alteans. Whether they’re still alive or not—” he stopped, the unspoken bit went exactly that. Unspoken.

“One more question,” Keith said and Lance glared at him. “When would this have happened? The bond, also you didn’t answer why Lance could manipulate Quintessence so quickly.”

Jiroteo sighed, before cracking his neck and Lance shuddered. “I guess I should explain this anyway, in a traditional Quintessence bond… yours may not be traditional like mine and Meanno’s is. But one of you will have more externalised outbursts—” his eyes flickered between the pair of them.

“I reckon that’s you, Keith. You will rip things up, blow people aside, send blasts of energy at people.” Keith felt vaguely offended but didn’t say anything else. “And Lance, your outbursts are probably more internalised. Manipulating Quintessence, people’s thoughts, putting up energy shields, that’s why you did it. I don’t know how you had so much control.”

“So, I’m weird?” Lance asked, his arms crossed and his mouth pressed into a thin line. 

“Probably,” Jiroteo said grinning, “That is most likely unrelated. I reckon, if you asked me. It has more to do with you being surrounded by high concentrations of Quintessence already.”

“Right.”

“It means you two probably have more control than most… but that’s a whole other issue. How far are you willing to go for the other? I can’t control my outbursts, but if you can control yours. It means there’s a choice. How many lives is Lance worth?”

“I—” Keith started, but didn’t finish. Because Keith wanted to say that he was worth all of them. But that didn’t make sense, and killing millions of people for Lance was mathematically a bad move. All those millions had families of their owns, and they would all be _that person_ to someone. “I don’t know,” he finished, “More than mine.”

“Okay bullshit—”

“That is an argument for another time,” Jiroteo said calmly. “It is just something to think about. I have no clue when the bond may have started, I do have a theory though.”

“That’s just a theory, a film—” Lance started and Keith slapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the rest of the words

“Ignore him,” Keith said, “What’s the theory?”

“That unlike my bond, it was over time… generally with a Quintessence bond there’s one moment. One moment and then you’re bound, hand-in-hand, whatever. I reckon there was a moment that tied you two together… but the bond has changed over time, maybe more events like that one? With your exposure to Quintessence you could’ve been training and bonded. We won’t probably ever know.”

Keith removed his hand from Lance’s mouth, wiping it on Lance’s jacket who scowled at him. “Listen hear you dumb mullet-head—”

Jiroteo sighed, his Galra-ears flicking back slightly. “While this argument is enthralling, could you argue about how there could potentially be a child of two of the most brilliant minds that have ever been in the galaxy and if Zarkon has gone mad… this child could be a secret weapon of some sort.”

“Zarkon already has a kid,” Lance said, “He’s not that threatening, he’s not Altean either. The lost child,” his lip curled up at that, “Was probably lost with Altea. It’s fine.”

* * *

“Stupid. Quiznacking—”

“Lotor,” Coran said, sitting in the chair as Lotor tore his room apart. “You need to calm down. It doesn’t matter—”  
  


“They’re my swords!” Lotor exclaimed, tearing the sheets off his bed. “It’s—” he cut himself off, holding the torn sheets in his hands. They were the only thing that Zarkon had ever given him apart from pain. If he’d lost them—

He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he’d lost them. Throwing the sheets that he still didn’t know how to use, he closed his eyes for a moment. Looking down at his bed, even if it was stripped down to the mattress.

“I need the swords,” Lotor took a deep breath, turning around and looking at Coran, “I really— I really, really need those swords.”

“Lotor… I don’t know where they could be,” Coran said with a small smile, even as tired as they could be, “If you’ve left does it even matter if you don’t have the swords?”

“I haven’t left,” Lotor flipped his mattress off the bed. “I’m captured, I’m here against my will.”

“The door hasn’t been locked in days,” Coran replied, twirling his mustache around his finger slightly, “I know you know that. Everyone on the team knows this, which begs the question. Why are you still here?”

Lotor didn’t say anything, instead looking under the bed for his swords. They were a dark purple, with some insignia that he never could quite read, they were jumbled and hurt his brain to look at too long. 

“Lotor. Why are you still here?”

Coran needed to shut up. Sure, he’d been visiting more lately, and sure, he trusted him and sure, he was pretty funny and everything that a father should be— but Coran wasn’t his father.

His father was— not that. Lotor looked under the mattress again.

“You’ve already looked there,” Coran said, leaning against the arm of the chair. “You’ve looked everywhere.”

“I need those swords,” Lotor said, rubbing at his face. He wasn’t going to cry. He was not going to cry, he was better than crying over losing some things. “You don’t understand I need them—”

“Lotor,” Coran’s voice was soft, and that one word was filled with more concern and care than everything Zarkon had ever said to him. “You’re safe here. You never have to go back, and if you do—”

“I do.” Lotor said, his voice scratchy and teetering on the edge of a cry. Too close to the edge. He took another deep breath. “I want to go.”

“Then why haven’t you?” Coran challenged. “You can leave, right now,” the door whirred open as if to prove Coran’s point and he gestured at it. “Leave if you want, there’s a pod down the hallway ready to fly away. If you’re that against Voltron you can kill me, kill me and walk away and your father will know that it was you who killed one of the few known living Alteans left.”

Lotor looked away, he wasn’t going to kill anyone on this ship. He’d made that promise to himself a long time ago, probably after Hunk’s second visit. Where he put down the soup. Or when Allura looked at the state of his hair and promptly brushed it and tried to get some of the grime out of it.

Coran looked at him curiously. “So, why aren’t you leaving?”

“Do you want me to leave?” Lotor responded, glancing at the door.

“I do not.”

“Why?”  
  


“I don’t think you’re safe with Zarkon, and you deserve to be safe… wherever that is, I’m not sure,” Coran hummed again, watching Lotor for a reaction, a reaction which Lotor didn’t provide. “You’re only a boy.”

“Stop it,” Lotor said, although it was weak. “Stop trying to justify my actions with me being young, I’m not that young! I’m a bad person! Stop seeing me as a good person,” Lotor yelled and Coran didn’t flinch, just raised an eyebrow at him. 

“I am a bad person,” Lotor repeated, his voice calmer. “So stop pretending I’m some lost cause and have the potential to be good, because I don’t. None of you seem to realise not everyone can be saved!”

Coran didn’t say anything for a moment, only looked at Lotor with an analysing look. “Lotor, my boy, it’s not up to me to decide if you’re a good person… that’s up to you. Only you determine what kind of person you are, isn’t it curious that when the threat of Zarkon is taken away you seem to become a different version of yourself. I’d say that this is your true self, not whatever you become when Zarkon is there.”

“Stop it,” Lotor muttered, tears springing to his eyes. “Just— stop it. Stop thinking that, stop it! You’ll be disappointed when I eventually stab you in the back.”

Coran just shrugged, “Everyone deserves a chance, to be the version of themselves that they’ve always wanted to be. I do not believe that you want to be a bad person, more it was out of necessity.”

“Please,” Lotor said quietly, “Please stop.”

“Stop what? Having faith in you?”

“Yes!” Lotor yelled, spinning around, trying to ignore the tears prickling at his eyes. “Stop it! Stop all of this! You all need to stop treating me like I’m something worth redeeming, and that’s— that’s fine, did you see what I did to Lance? That’s not redeemable, I’m not a good person! All of you need to start thinking that. I’m not a good person!”

“Maybe,” Coran said, challenging in his quiet way. “Maybe, maybe we’re all wrong about you. Or we’re not, and we gave someone who deserved a chance, a chance.”

“I don’t— stop it,” Lotor’s eyes were stinging even more, and he wasn’t going to cry. He wasn’t going to even think about crying. “Please, just stop it… the last person who had any faith in me is probably dead!”

Coran didn’t say anything, just looking at Lotor curiously. “Agedar… he— it must be an Altean thing. Having more faith in me than I deserve, for some reason he believed that I was a good person. I did one good thing and then he thought I was a great person and it got him killed.”

“What do you mean?” Coran’s tone was clipped, and Lotor winced a little bit. 

“I mean, they brought Agedar to… Zarkon, and I was also brought into the room,” Lotor took a deep breath. “And all I had to do was to say stop— or anything and—” he cut himself off at Coran’s look.

“And what?”

“I don’t know…” Lotor confessed, “They probably killed him, I see no reason why they wouldn’t kill him. No, I’m not getting attached, and I’m not staying because this is the stuff that happens. So please, please, stop having faith in me, because I’m going to leave eventually and it’ll just be so much easier—”

“They’re in the drawers, the bottom drawers… you put them in there yesterday,” Coran said, and Lotor’s eyes flickered to the drawers. Which had remained untouched throughout the entire thing.

“Oh,” Lotor said, walking over and opening the drawers. Sure enough, both of his dark purple swords were in there, resting almost perfectly. He took them both out, setting them on top of the drawers and looking at them for a while.

“Come on,” Coran gave a smile, “Let’s put this mess back together.” He picked up a sword and hummed at it. Picking one up and Lotor let him, “Interesting, ‘ _the embers and he are the same_ ’ an old Altean poet.”

“Is it?”

“The same one who asked what purpose suns had,” Coran smiled, almost fondly. “A popular Altean debate on why stars shined. There were the scientific answers, then the answers I liked the most.”

“What is the poem about? On the sword.”

“It’s about Oriande, the entry into Oriande, ‘ _The wise stand back from the fire, fools are burned on the pyre, the mystic becomes one with the flame, the embers and he are the same.’_ ” Coran recited, smiling slightly, “That quote, about the embers normally means that what makes the fire is the same as the fire… it’s an old Altean saying, taken out of context, of course. It really means entering Oriande requires a mystic.”

Lotor didn’t say anything else, just carefully taking the sword out of Coran’s hands.

“Let’s tidy up,” Coran said, sighing slightly at the wreckage in front of them. “If I can tidy up Allura’s messes, this is a piece of cake.”

“You cleaned up Allura’s messes?”

“When she was a girl,” Coran sighed, “This mess is nothing compared to her when she got in a mood,” he shuddered, “She is a force to be reckoned with.”

Lotor couldn’t stop the smile from flashing across his face, and didn’t hide it the second he got in control. “You are lucky she’s on your side.”

Coran rolled his eyes, “Come on, unless you want to sleep on the floor we need this cleaned up.”

* * *

Keith was bored shitless.

He’d lived in the desert an entire year, and he’d never been this bored. He had trained, until Lance had dragged him out of there just before he passed out. So now he was on the couch, lying down as Lance was— somewhere.

The couch shifted in weight and Lance landed next to him, carefully avoiding his feet. “Lulio should be back from a mission.”

“Oh,” Keith sat up, smiling a little bit. Lulio was great, mainly because Keith would flirt with him and Lulio would flirt back, both of them knew it meant nothing but Lance would get a bit closer to punching someone every time they talked.

It was funny to watch. Every time Lulio mentioned diplomatic immunity through marriage Lance got a little bit closer to straight up stabbing someone, and every single time it would be hilarious.

“Great. Can I talk to him?”

“Talk to him yourself,” Lance pouted, holding the tablet out of his reach. “Let me have my own friends.”

“He’s also my friend, who I’m probably going to end up marrying because being a member of Voltron provides zero diplomatic immunity and the latest bounty on my head is enough to buy a small planet.”

Lance pouted, and Keith reached for the tablet which was moved out of his reach. “Give me the tablet!” Keith managed, clambering on Lance who kept moving the tablet, “Let me talk to my husband.”

“You’re not marrying my ex!”

“You call him your boy toy, no rules on boy toys.”

“He calls me his boy toy,” Lance argued, and Keith would’ve realised he was on Lance’s lap if he wasn’t trying to get the tablet. “You’re not marrying Lulio, I have one rule.”

“Fine,” Keith said, managing to snatch the tablet from Lance and scrambled away, defending himself by kicking Lance repeatedly, who yelped and howled, apparently not taking it very well. “Go away, go away, I’m talking to my husband!”

“He’s not your husband.”

“Bet!” Keith yelled back, pushing Lance away with his feet, lying down as he opened up the program to call Lulio. “Don’t be mad because you’re the awkward ex.”

It rang a few times, and when it eventually got picked up Keith wasn’t even looking at the screen. “Hey Lulio, Lance is salty because—” he looked at the screen and that wasn’t Lulio. He snapped his mouth closed, and Lance, apparently seeing the solemn expression on Keith’s face and slowly moved over so he was looking at the screen.

“Kolivan,” Keith said through gritted teeth, “A pleasure, where’s Lulio?”

“Missing,” Kolivan responded, his face set into a harsh line. 

Voltron hadn’t had that much interaction with The Blade, they officially didn’t even have an alliance, and Kolivan wasn’t willing to give it so easily, apparently he was afraid that the paladins would move to the wrong side of history. Whatever that meant.

They shared a common enemy, that was it.

Apparently they also shared Lulio with them, and now Lulio was missing.

“What do you mean missing?” Lance asked, his shoulders hunched up from where he was sitting, right next to Keith. “Kolivan. What do you mean he’s missing?”

“It means,” Kolivan said, his voice not giving anything away. “That he went on a mission, and he didn’t make it onto the ship in time. So he’s missing.”

“You didn’t go back for him?” Keith’s tone started rising. “You mean you let the _king_ of an entire _planet_ go missing, how is he not your most valuable ally?”

“Lulio isn’t the king,” Kolivan replied, and Lance exchanged a look with Keith. “He has someone holding his place, a friend I think. Dubux will be fine.”

“Absolutely not!” Lance yelled, “Give us his last location.”

Kolivan blinked at him.

“Give us Lulio’s last location, we’re going to find him,” Lance said, his words blurring into one as he stood up. “Kolivan. Give us his last location, if you can’t spare two blades to go get one of your most valuable allies, we will. We’re getting our friend back, and in fact, Lulio is so important you’re joining the coalition after this.”

“We’re not—”

Lance sat up straighter, “You are joining the coalition. However you want this to go, that’s not how this is going. We save your most valuable ally, with an entire planet at his disposal. Unless you want an entire planet and Voltron after your sorry ass? The Blade has survived thousands of years, but have they survived the wrath of a planet, Voltron and the coalition?”

Kolivan looked at them for a moment, his face saying nothing. “You…” Kolivan started, “Are going to… go after Lulio.”

“I am,” Lance said.

“I am.” Keith confirmed and the corner of Lance’s lip twitched up a little bit. “Now give us the information and we’ll return with our friend, then you’ll join the coalition unless you want all the rebels to know how you gave up on a king.”

Kolivan sighed, “Sending the mission details, you don’t get any resources, just you two. You get information, last known where-abouts and that’s it.”

“Fine,” Keith responded curtly, “And we’ll find him and bring him back and you’re officially joining the Voltron coalition.”

“I suppose.”

“Great.” Lance hung up, mainly to prove a point. Before looking at Keith, “Whatever Lulio’s mission was, we’re completing that too.”

“I expect no less,” Keith responded with a sigh. Standing up and stretching slightly, feeling his back pop slightly and Lance shuddered. “I will keep doing that until I die.”

“I’m going to murder you if you keep doing that,” Lance responded. 

He brought up a screen mid-air in a way that only Lance knew how to do, and maybe Allura. Several numbers, letters and photos showed up on the screen and Lance’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at all of them. Eyes scanning around as Keith put the tablet down, in one of the spots that Pidge would go fossicking through.

Lance hummed, throwing some things off the screen and sending others to their gauntlets. He hummed again and Keith stood up, looking over Lance’s shoulder as he sorted through everything with the speed of— something. Something for sure.

It felt oddly domestic.

Even though Lulio’s life was potentially on the line here. Which quickly got Keith out of fantasy land.

“Right,” Lance muttered, opening another screen slightly to his left. “Can you run one a diagnostic on Elkarla for any faces matching Lulio’s in the last few hours?” Keith nodded, and started tapping away on his screen.

It was fairly easy, it was all just stuff that Pidge had taught them. Tapping away. Elkarla already sent a pit into Keith’s stomach, it was one of those planets. Where rules weren’t enforced that much, and it held one of the largest brothels. Not a kind one either, the kind where the people there got branded.

What were blades doing on Elkarla?

Elkarla could and would provide… people… for important people in the Galran empire. It was something that they’d managed to mostly avoid, because it was an operation too large to take down which they were fighting multiple fronts. It was on the todo list, it just didn’t make a top priority.

Keith took a deep breath, seeing some shaky camera footage of Lulio being dragged into… with a few searches, that was a brothel. Keith sighed, running a hand through his hair and turning to Lance. “Here.”

Lance peered over, watching the repeat.

“Any other footage?”  
  


“No. He’ll be in— there,” the words tasted bad in his mouth. “Oh God.”

Lance took a deep breath, “We need some actual clothes, you go raid the closets, I’ll talk to Coran. Think gay cowboys.”

Keith nodded, hurrying off in the direction of The Castle’s huge closet. He hadn’t actually been there yet, at all really he’d just been… around? Pidge had gone in there and Keith had followed after her.

It was still as big as last time, with fabric hanging from every wall. An eye-sore of colours and embellishments as he looked around. Standing in the middle of the room, where there was a small tablet. With all the options.

Coats, pants, shirts, whatever they needed, they’d be able to find it here. Keith sighed, it wasn’t as good as Coran making their own clothes for special situations, but it wasn’t all bad either and had some uses.

He started tapping, choosing out two heavy coats and two outfits. It didn’t take that long, not when Keith was currently acting out of panic and concern for Lulio. Would it be too late? Would he have been whisked off somewhere else?

Ignoring the panic rising he got the shoes and watched as Lance walked in. Holding a small bag of money and nodding. Throwing the money at Keith, who caught it one-handed and gestured at the clothes rumpled on the floor.

“I’m guessing one of us will wear that,” he gestured to the serious, black outfit, “And the other one wears that,” he gestured to the pile of clothes which were supposed to look like someone who worked, (if that was the right word), at the brothel. 

Keith gave a curt nod, spinning the money around his finger.

“I look more like Lulio than you,” Lance argued, “It makes more sense for me to be the one…”

“So… I’m guessing we’re doing a stock thing,” Keith said, and let disgust play on his face at the weight of those words. “That sounds so wrong. So wrong.”

“Yes,” Lance whispered, “It sounds wrong. So wrong.”

“Okay.” Keith took a deep breath. “For Lulio.”

“For Lulio,” Lance responded with a grimace, picking up the pile of clothes and staring at them tiredly, rubbing at his face. “Okay. Okay. Let’s do this.”

They got changed, their backs turned to each other, quietly. Only the rustle of clothes. Keith sighed.

He wore a long coat, which ended around his knees, moving around every time Keith moved a little bit with a swishing noise straight out of a bad cowboy movie. The boots were slightly too big, so they rustled and the silver sparkly bits of them clanged whenever he took a step. With a black button up shirt, with silver adornments rolling around the shirt like a river flowing, he looked in the mirror.

The pants had little difference to the ones he wore normally. Skinny jeans essentially, apart from being made out of a softer fabric. It looked good on him, maybe he was supposed to be a space-cowboy. 

Looking at one of the mirrors he frowned, before doing his hair up with a piece of silver shimmering fabric, which matched his shirt and the metal parts on his boots. He frowned, and decided that he looked good enough to play his part.

He’d lived on the streets for a year. He knew how to act rough and be rough, maybe it was a good thing that Lance wasn’t the one wearing the space-cowboy outfit and probably going to end up in a bar fight.

Fantastic.

Placing his gauntlet underneath the coat, but on top of the shirt didn’t feel that strange. Most space-anythings had gauntlets, like a phone, it was just something most people had and could do more than an Earth phone ever would.

Maybe he’d wear one back on Earth. Finally he picked up the black wig, he wouldn’t be wearing it, and stuffed it into his coat. 

“You done?” Lance asked.

“Yeah,” and Keith turned around to look at Lance. 

His shirt was a loose white one, not fitted at all, the sleeves moved like the bottom of a dress, and flared out a little bit too. It had a fairly low v-neck. Showing off Lance’s collarbone and neck—

Suddenly Keith’s mouth had gone dry.

Lance just looked—

“Great,” Keith said, before he could stop himself. “You look great… great for playing the part. Yeah, great.”

He was also wearing loose aqua pants, which fit around the waist, but flared at the bottom. Like bell-bottoms, except they looked extremely comfortable, and soft. His shirt was tucked in slightly to the pants, and he was wearing raggedy shoes that barely covered his feet.

Keith stared for a bit longer. “You look good in blue,” he said, adjusting his jacket in an attempt to hide the grin that danced across his face. “Although I think you look better in red.”

If Lance picked up that not-so-subtle attempt at flirting he didn’t acknowledge it. “Excuse me,” Lance held a hand to his chest, “I look great in everything, don’t hate because you can’t pull off blue.”

“I haven’t worn blue since I was… probably never.”

“Never?” Lance asked, “Surely a crappy school uniform… Cuba had standardised ones up until the uprising way back when.”

“Way back when?”  
  


“Like in the 2030’s maybe, lots of drama, Cuba became slightly less dictatorish and slightly less… y’know, objectively corrupt. It’s still kinda corrupt but hey—” he waved a hand, “It’s still home, still not as fucked up as America.”

“Hey,” Keith said weakly, “Only Americans are allowed to bash America.”

Lance sent him a look, “No healthcare, everything becomes political, highest incarceration rate, mass shootings, taxes not included on prices, the metric system… and worst of all lots of people seem to think that that’s freedom,” Lance sighed, “Stupid gringos.”

“I’m Korean and Galran, I am about as American as you.”

“I’m fairly American,” Lance said flatly. “My brother, Marco lives in… Florida and Veronica is… was bouncing between NASA and Cuba. I also went to The Garrison since I was like… elevenish. Twelve maybe.”

“Right,” Keith nodded, even if his eyes were still on Lance’s collarbones. “Yeah… one more thing Lance.”

Lance looked up expectedly.

“Um— anything I say there, I don’t mean.” Keith said, trying to keep the sadness out of his voice. “Yeah… if I say something horrible, I don’t mean it and I’m sorry in advance.”

“Keith, Keith, Keith, Keith,” Lance tutted, “If you ever said a mean thing about me, I think you’d cry before I could react to it. You need to trust yourself, the same amount as I trust you.”

“Right.” Keith took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

* * *

Keith had no clue what he was doing. Not even a little bit of a clue. Not even a smidgen of a clue here. Nothing, zero, zip, zilch, nada. Only panic. It wasn’t packed, that meant Keith wasn’t going to be able to get lost in a crowd even if he tried.

People were still talking, it was like a bar. With people walking around with a brand, scarring, up their neck, in a complex pattern. Holding drinks and smiling fakely as they walked around, hading out those drinks and politely talking to people seated at tables.

The type of people Keith avoided when he was younger, with bared teeth, and the general I’m-an-asshole vibe, something that Keith didn’t deal with when he was younger and there was a good reason for that.

All he knew was that Lance had whacked his face on Black’s console and cut his forehead open a little bit, and that Lance’s wrists were bound together and Keith was dragging him backwards, as Lance struggled enough to make it look like a struggle, but not enough that Keith wouldn’t win.

He walked up to the counter and slammed Lance’s head down on the table with a thump. Which hopefully didn’t hurt that much. “Here,” Keith growled, not even noticing his voice taking on more of his accent. “Gotch’a one.”

The… receptionist. Maybe? Raised an eyebrow. Looking at Lance who was struggling still, Keith held him there.

“Who are you?”

Panic again. “Akira Sanchez.” He lied. He was going to be concerned that he chose Lance’s mothers maiden name as part of his fake name. But it was too late to go back from that, “Ya gotta problem with that?”

“No,” the receptionist grumbled. They seemed like a teenager, with more fringe than hair, and had the energy of someone being paid minimum wage. “Pick him up, let me see his face.”

Keith hauled Lance up and the receptionist grabbed him by the face, turning it either side. “How’d you manage to get one like this… and not beat up either,” they prodded at the cut on Lance’s forehead, still bleeding slightly. “How’d that happen?”

“Wasn’t listenin’,” Keith growled, pulling Lance’s bound hands up, so that his face twisted in discomfort. “Right, how much are ya willing to pay for him?”

“I don’t know,” the teenager complained, “I don’t normally get to look at the pretty ones. He is really something isn’t he?” They looked at Lance for a bit longer, “Been getting some pretty ones in lately.”

“Really?” Lance snarled, and Keith slammed his head back down on the counter. Praying that he wouldn’t get brain damage after this.

“Whaddya mean?” Keith asked and he felt Lance relax slightly. 

“Couple of hours ago, we got this really pretty one in. A blade—” they spat to the side and Keith quickly followed suit, “Scum. Filthy little thing, but people are going to pay a lot for him. He’s beautiful really— it’s quite rude actually.”

Keith squeezed slightly on the back of Lance’s neck, not with any force. Just a reminder. To calm down. Lance relaxed slightly, but not a lot. Both of their bayards were tucked into pockets. 

It would be fine.

If everything went wrong they had bayards and shields. It would be fine.

“Have a go with him?” The teenager said, looking down at Lance and Keith had to repress everything inside of himself to not grab the teenager and yell that no one deserved to be looked at like that. Like an object.

His stomach lurched slightly. “Wha’?”  
  


“Have a go with him?” The teenager said, with a cheeky grin, looking up at Keith. “If everyone else is paying to have a go with him, and you can get him for free— why wouldn’t you? So, did you?”

“No.” Keith gritted out.

“Interesting,” the teenager muttered, “Is it possible that there’s some chivalry? You’re selling him… here,” they gestured around them, “But you’re not going to force yourself onto him, you’re truly a beacon of hope.” Sarcasm dripped with every word and Keith hadn’t ever wanted to throttle someone this badly.

“Even criminals have standards.” Keith managed, around the loud laughter that came from one of the tables, glancing to the side then glancing back.

“Oh,” the teenager grinned, one of their three eyes crinkled at both corners. “You’re not from here then. Fair enough, all of the pretty ones nearby get thrown into one of these places. Or you work here for minimum wage, get good insurance, lots of enemies out to kill you apparently.”

“I don’t care,” Keith managed, teeth bared. “Give me my money.”

“No can do,” the teenager grinned, “I can direct you towards the next guy.”

“Of course you can.”

“Another tip,” the teenager said, smiling slightly. “Maybe scan aliens before you talk to them in case they’re empaths and can read strong thoughts,” they gave another small smile. “It’s sweet. Trying to save a friend. Another tip, no more pretend chivalry. Yes, yes, I can hear your thoughts, it’s a disgusting thing to say, but what might be happening to your friend is more disgusting.”

Lance tensed.

“Relax,” the teenager said, still more fringe, and arms crossed. “He’s a tough one to break. They apparently need someone real tough, to break him— apparently. Easy enough, you’re in a room alone with him, nothing around. Sneak out a vent or something, whatever you hero-types do.”

Keith raised an eyebrow.

“Please, the heroics were oozing off you when you came in. Maybe calm down with that, while you’re fairly convincing you don’t scuff your feet enough and you keep scanning around like you’ve never been to one of these places before.”

“Right. Thanks,” Lance deadpanned and Keith hit him in the back of the head. “I knew you were enjoying this, you asshole.”

“That’s not all he’s enjoying,” the teenager said with a wink and Lane crinkled up his nose. “Okay, so… if I’m not dobbing on you, you have to promise me something.”

“What?” Keith asked, voice flat. “No, you can’t have a turn with Lance.”

“Okay… wasn’t going to ask that because ew—”  
  


“Wow, chivalry isn’t dead,” Lance deadpanned and Keith slapped him in the back of the head again.

“Get someone out for me,” the teenager said. “There are only a few new recruits. None of them are of age—” Keith felt himself vomit a little in his mouth. “Just get them out, they’re babies— your friend, he’s the oldest there.”

“Lulio’s sixteen…” Lance muttered from on the counter and Keith froze up even more. “How young are the others?”

“Fourteen solar years,” the teenager said, “Please— just— get them out. There’s only three, four including your friend and they're babies.”

“We will,” Lance said, and Keith could feel the rage in his voice, he was actually shaking and Keith felt that same rage. “Fuck, I promise.”

Fourteen. That was how old Pidge was. Sixteen was bad. All of this was bad— but children. Children? No. Absolutely not.

The teenager sighed, standing up. “Follow me.” They started walking, and Keith started after them dragging Lance with them, who was staggering slightly as Keith dragged him with the force that it was going to take to convince outsiders of what was happening.

With a few more steps, the teenager and the pair of them were standing in front of a group of three aliens. One with bright pink skin, the other with midnight blue and the others skin changed colours. Talking in low tones, whispering to each other. Keith’s grip tightened, more out of fear. 

For himself and Lance.

“Akira Sanchez, with… this,” the teenager said, stepping to the side. “I thought he was rather pretty and with the new rules and stuff—”

  
“He is,” the blue one said and Keith’s grip tightened even more. One of them grabbed Lance’s face with one of their many limbs and turned it side to side. “He really is. Stunning.”

“What’ll be stunning is when I shove my foot up your ass, you quiznack’s,” Lance snarled, but tensed up. Ready for whatever act Keith was about to put on.

And boy, was Keith about to act. 

Hopefully he had a fraction of Lance’s acting skills.

Slamming Lance against the wall he snarled, grabbing a knife (mostly for dramatic effect) and pressing it against Lance’s throat. Not enough to cut the skin, but enough for everyone to see that it _could,_ it could make a cut if he wanted it to.

“You had better shut up and stay quiet, whatever life you had before this, it’s gone! You’re nothing but a useless number and a statistic which will go missing when someone doesn’t treat you right and no one will care! Now stay quiet, otherwise what I did to you a quintant ago will be merciful!” He yelled, all into Lance’s face.

Lance teared up.

_Please don’t be real. Please don’t be real tears. I’m sorry_ —

“You understand me?” Keith yelled again.

Lance nodded through cloudy eyes.

“I said,” Keith yelled again. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes sir,” Lance said, nodding and a few tears escaping.

_Please don’t be real tears, I’m sorry, I'm so sorry._

He really was sorry. When they got back Keith was going to be made of apologies.

_It’s okay,_ a thought that wasn’t his own popped into his head and Keith stared at Lance for a moment. _You’re not the only one who can act, Samurai._ _  
  
_

Right. The bond thing. Lance was putting thoughts into his head. Okay then. Cool. That wasn’t the weirdest thing that had happened recently.

Keith didn’t let himself stare for too long, before shoving Lance at the group of people, one of them caught him, as the teenager stared at him with slightly wide eyes. “Do what you will with him.”

He went to turn around. Walking a few steps. Then a few steps more.

“Wait!” The chameleon one said, changing to a light pink colour, said, “Mister Sanchez.”

There it was. 

Keith turned around. “Yes?”

“We have one… who’s particularly. Rebellious.” The blue one looked down at the ground look sheepish

“And?” Keith said, arms crossed, expression flat as he watched Lance out of the corner of his eyes. “I care because?”

“We will pay you double,” the one with bright pink skin looked directly at him. “Whatever he’s worth, we’ll pay that plus double.”

He couldn’t vomit. That was something he couldn’t do.

“Seems like a deal to me,” Keith said with a half-hearted shrug. “You do whatever you want with him.”

Later. When he got back home. He’d vomit to his heart’s content. Lance winced slightly.

“So?” Keith said flatly. “Are we just going to stand here?”

“No,” the bright-pink alien said, turning around. One of them dragged Lance, and Keith walked behind them all. Watching the entire way, ready to throw hands if one of them even thought about hurting Lance.

And boy, was he willing to throw hands.

He looked straight ahead, following down the maze of hallways. Trying to remember what was where, what turns they had to make. Lance was doing the same, but actually skilled at it. Keith was probably going to end up winging it.

There was a door at the end of the hallway. The chameleon one, turning a soft yellow fumbled with the door. Maybe with a lock, Lance looked over his shoulder, still being held by the blue one.

_‘Stay safe,’_ his eyes seemed to say.

_‘You too’_ Keith tried to say back, as best as he could with only his eyes.

Lance smiled and turned around, looking down at the floor, trying to suppress the smile and Keith tried to suppress his own in the collar of his jacket. 

Right. This would be fine.

The door opened and Lance was shoved into there. Weapons were drawn and Keith managed to see over one of their shoulders.

He could see Lulio in the room, crouched in front of three children. With tears on their faces and Lulio’s expression was fierce, teeth gritted, arms held out, trying to shield the children who were cowering.

Lance’s expression shattered almost straight away, and let himself be shoved in. As the blue one yanked Lulio out by his hair.

“Lulio!” One of the children yelled, reaching out. 

General yells and cries, the kids yelling after Lulio, and Lulio being dragged backwards. “Lulio!” Most of the kids were yelling, and Lance was holding them back from running after him. One of the kids, a scrawny little thing, was pounding on Lance’s chest. “Don’t leave us! Leave him alone you brutes!”

Lance didn’t let go of the scrawny one, while the two others cried in the corner. Eyes wide, trying to shrink away into the wall and Keith watched. Trying to keep a bored expression on his face in case anyone looked at him, even as he felt sicker and sicker.

“You monsters!” The scrawny one Lance was holding yelled, still struggling in Lance’s grip. “You bags of filth!” They were fighting harder, kicking their legs and Lance held on tight enough that it couldn’t have been comfortable.

“Feisty,” the pink one said, “They like that—” skin on skin, and the pink alien was on the ground, as Lulio held his fist, snarling at the alien on the ground.

“She’s a child!” Lulio yelled, before kicking the alien in the side, as he was dragged backwards by his hair. Straight into Keith, who grabbed him by the hair too and Lulio struggled slightly in his grip. 

Enough that Keith wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold it and so yanked him back a little bit more with his hair. Holding the knife at his throat and Lulio stilled. His head was tilted back so he was looking up at the roof.

“Be quiet,” the chameleon alien snarled. “Or he gets it.”

He meant Lulio, and Lulio stiffened up entirely as the three kids in the room went perfectly quiet. Silence dragged out, compared to the noise and kerfuffle which had just happened. 

The door closed with a slam, and silence stretched for a bit longer as Lulio also went perfectly quiet, and didn’t even try and struggle.

“Good,” the pink one said, “You get it, speak and we’ll get one of the others.”

Lulio didn’t say anything, but Keith was almost sure he was crying a little bit. A few tears rolled down his face and the pink alien laughed loudly, it echoed around the hallway and Keith almost opened his mouth to say something.

“Oh you sweet, sweet, boy. You can’t win here, no one is coming to save you… no one cares enough to come and save you, I reckon you’ve lost everyone who’d think about saving you—”

“Enough.” Keith barked and Lulio tensed in his grip. Maybe with recognition? Keith couldn’t tell. “His past doesn’t matter. Where do we go?”

The blue one walked down the hallway slightly, and a door opened. “No one will hear anything,” they said and Keith dragged himself and Lulio over to the doorway. Still forcing him to look up at the ceiling. “Do what you must.”

Slowly the door closed.

The room was just that, an empty room with stone looking walls and a floor that had a bit too much grip. Apart from that. Nothing.

Pain shot through his knee and Keith went down on one, as Lulio tackled him and sat on top, his forearms pressed against his throat. The promise of potential pain, pressing into Keith’s voice box uncomfortably, “Okay you fucker, I’m getting out of here, and if you think you’re doing to stop me you’re going to be another body in this hellhole.”

“Fucker’s an Earth swear-word,” Keith rasped out, bringing his hands up to Lulio’s arm in an attempt to pry it off. “Let me go you fucker, is this how you treat all your husbands?”

Lulio’s eyes went wide and he sat up straighter, before grinning ear-to-ear. “Keith! My favourite husband,” sarcasm oozed from every word, before Lulio looked so confused that he didn’t move. “Wait. You and Lance—”

“Came after you.” Keith said, and Lulio opened his mouth for some sort of innuendo. “No. We were gonna call you and Kolivan picked up, and we made him give us mission details and managed to spin an alliance out of this.”

“Oh yeah,” Lulio muttered, “I need to get on that with Dubux.” He got off of Keith. “You really went after me?”

“Why else would we be here?”

“I dunno, you were convincing though. With your accent and your general touch-me-and-you-die energy. It was excellent. I feel like a proud Ma,” he fanned at his eyes, like he was tearing up. “So where’s Lance?”

Keith laughed, shaking his head. “He’s the one that went in and if I know jackshit about Lance, which I do. He’s already coming up with an escape plan,” Keith shrugged off his jacket.

He took out his bayard. And the wig he had stashed into his jacket. Throwing it on the floor and Lulio prodded at it with his foot. “Is it alive?” He asked and Keith sighed. Pelting his jacket at Lulio’s face.

“Put that on.”  
  


“This can’t be your plan.”

“Lance and I didn’t really make a plan,” Keith muttered, “Probably should’ve done that… y’know what, fuck it. This is the plan. You put on that dumb wig and that dumber jacket. Maybe the boots for good measure.” He handed the knife over. “The key is to be confident.”

“No, no, nope,” Lulio said, handing the knife back. “You’re kidding right? There are so many better ways to do this without blowing your cover or putting yourself in the line of fire.” He looked around. “Just straight up leave me here, it’s on the way out. Open the door for the others, and grab me on the way out.”

Keith raised an eyebrow.

“Look, this is going way better than what I thought it would. I was imagining killing someone, but this is a better alternative.” Lulio gave a small smile, and Keith handed the knife back to him. Just in case. “They’re only children…” Lulio said, sadly.

“You’re a child too. We’re all children,” Keith said, sighing, rubbing at his face. “Okay. Lulio, we need a proper plan. What’s the go?”

Lulio hummed, looking around the room, then at the knife in his hands. “We both go to the other cell I reckon. You cut them out with your bayard, and I’ll stand guard. Then. We get out, run like hell and hope.”

“Good enough for me,” Keith said, cracking his knuckles loudly. Grabbing his bayard, he took a deep breath. “You and Lance are very similar.”

“Except you’re not in love with me,” Lulio added, with his best shit-eating grin possible and Keith wanted to throw him through a window. Off a high building. Onto a bed of nails. “Unless you are, Keith, I’m flattered, but I don’t date an ex’s friend.”

“Fuck you.”

“You wish,” Lulio snorted, “I’m too hot for you, don’t even try and deny it. I’m smoking hot and you’re average at best.”

“Average? I have a better shot at dating Lance than you ever did,” Keith argued, arms crossed and Lulio snorted again.

“Clearly Lance has terrible taste in men. He’s so out of our league.”

“Yeah,” Keith sighed.

“Oh,” Lulio said, thoughtfully, like he’d almost forgotten about it. “I’m kinda dating someone right now… he’s cool.”

Keith raised an eyebrow, holding his bayard. 

Slowly sneaking the door open, looking out either side, before closing it firmly and turning to Lulio. “How do people let this happen? It’s so wrong.”

Lulio nodded slowly, “Well, duh, thanks genius.”

“Why hasn’t this place been shut down?” Keith asked quietly, peering out of the door. There were footsteps somewhere but he couldn’t recognise where, only that they were… somewhere around them.

“Because brothels have been banned, and when something’s illegal you can’t regulate them. If they’re legal then you can enforce rules about them, check up on them to make sure it isn’t shady. If it’s illegal you don’t get those things, the owners of these places are allowed to go wild.”

Keith sighed, “Like prohibition.”

“What?” 

“Earth thing,” Keith waved a hand, before stepping out of the room. 

Lulio followed after him, perfectly silent as they snuck down the hallway. Footsteps light, as Keith checked both ways everytime they took a step. It wasn’t a long distance between the two rooms.

Fifty feet maybe? But they were taking small quiet steps, and Keith was checking to make sure they weren’t going to get caught every time they walked. It was completely silent too, no noise.

Far away, far enough away to be a distant land there was the sound of people putting down glasses and laughter. Keith was barely listening to that. He took a few cautious steps towards the door and took his knife off of Lulio.

Fiddling with the lock, he stuck out his tongue. Trying to get it to click.

It eventually clicked and the door swung open slowly.

The room, like the one that Keith and Lulio had just been in. Was stone, with a floor which was bright white, almost enough to hurt due to the bright lights, which were about as fake as… WWE. 

Lance was crouched on the ground, becoming a shield between the door and the kids. His back was faced towards the door, and he whirled around. Hand on his shirt where the bayard was kept.

He saw Keith and relaxed almost completely. “Oh, thank God.” Lance said, standing up.

“It’s him,” the scrawny girl from earlier said. Bringing a blue braid over her shoulder. “What are you doing here?” She looked like she got in a fighting stance, holding… something sharp looking. “What did you do to him? We’re not stupid!”

“Nothing,” Lulio said, his voice immediately becoming softer than Keith had ever heard it and shoved past him. “Keith didn’t do anything to me, Mio, he’s working with Lance to get us all out. He just needed to act for a bit.”

Mio, the scrawny, blue-haired one. Looked at Keith, slightly skeptical. “I don’t believe you.” She threw the sharp thing. Which hit Keith in the side. Then Mio had jumped at him, and was hitting him in the face.

Repeatedly.

Keith’s first reaction was to throw her off, which he did, and she crashed against the ground as Keith scrambled away. Holding his bayard, not transformed into his sword, in his hand. 

Staring at the shorter girl who glared back. “I’m not stupid!” Mio yelled and Keith winced, praying that no one else heard this. “Fiykki,” she looked at another one of the girls. Who had pale pink hair and dark brown skin, with markings on her forehead. “Don’t fall for it.”

“What the fuck is happening?” Keith muttered, looking at Mio. Before slowly taking a shard of… glass… great. Out of his side. Wincing and throwing it onto the ground where it shattered.

The other girl, the one nameless still. The tallest and lankiest out of all of them. Probably Lance’s height, but she hadn’t stood up yet. With almost white skin, and white hair. Her eyes were light grey. She looked like a ghost. She looked between Keith and Lulio and then at Lance for a moment. “Those two are paladins,” she said.

“Pilliuk!” Mio yelled, and Fiykki seemed to share that sentiment, as her mouth was open. “No! They’re not paladins, why would paladins be here? No one’s coming to save us. If it’s too good to be true then it’s not true!”

“Please stop yelling,” Keith looked over his shoulder. “You’re going to get us all caught. I did nothing to Lulio, he’s my friend. Lance and I are paladins, believe us or not, I don’t care. Just for fuck’s sake, we need to leave and quickly.”

Lance faceplanted.

“You’re wrong,” Fiyikki said, her voice was more level and deeper than Mio’s. She brushed the light pink hair which was hanging around her shoulders through her fingertips. “You’re lying to us, and you’re just going to take us to another place like this.”

“They’re not.” Pilliuk said, her voice flat. “Even if they are, who cares,” she stood up. “Nowhere can be much worse than here. Worst-case we’re moved, best-case we’re saved.” She stepped over towards Keith, her arms crossed.

There was a footstep and Keith was acting before he could stop himself. Throwing himself in the doorway and throwing his shield up in front of his face. Which ripped the coat’s sleeve and there was a deafening blast.

Laser gun then.

Keith looked through his shield at the slightly distorted figures. The aliens from before. The pink one, the blue one and the one that changed colours. Swearing under his breath, Keith turned around, looking at Lance.

“Blast through the wall.”

“What?”  
  


“Blast through the fucking wall!” Keith yelled, “Any chance of stealth is already gone. Blast through the wall!” He looked over his shield.

The pink one was holding a gun and the other two were smiling brightly. Like they’d just proven anything. Keith grimaced and held his shield up as there were more blasts, shaking the shield slightly.

Behind him was a loud echoing blast, shaking the walls slightly and dust was kicked up. Almost shielding everyone behind him in a cloud of dust. 

For a split second he put his shield down, leaping forwards.

He knocked the colour-changing alien away with his shield. They hit the wall with a thump and went down, and Keith had no clue if they were ever getting up on their own free-will, or if they needed to be dragged out of here.

Dropping down into a squat and putting his weight on one of his feet, he kicked out the blue alien’s feet. They hit the ground and Keith put one foot on their chest. 

Before pointing his sword at the pink alien’s neck. Pinning them against the wall as Keith breathed heavily.

It was one of the easiest fights Keith had ever had. None of these people were trained. There was another blast from the cell behind him.

“Keith!” Lance yelled, “We need to go!”

Keith stood there, his sword pointing at the pink alien’s neck and putting as much weight as possible on the blue alien. “Shut the operation down.”

“What?” 

“Shut this down. The entire thing, unless you want the entire weight of a rebellion reigning down on you?”

“Ha,” the pink one laughed and Keith glared, pushing his sword a little more forwards. “You think that half of the rebellion don’t get entertainment here? Don’t claim that you’re all high and mighty because you’re as bad as the Galra. At least the Galra don’t pretend what they’re doing is so fucking great.”

“What?” Keith said, staring at the pink alien. “What do you mean?”  
  


“I mean. You think this war is black and white. That everyone on your side is good, but they’re not. Some are on your side because they just think you’ll win, others aren’t really on your side at all. Some of the people fighting with you are horrible, horrible people, people that would make Zarkon himself shake.”

Keith didn’t say anything.

“There are no winners of war,” they said. “Only survivors, and everyone’s trying to survive.”

He stayed quiet.

“Keith!” Lance yelled, his voice more urgent. “We _really_ need to go.”

“Wars don’t end well for anyone,” the pink alien said. “Heroes don’t get happy endings. Maybe they survive, maybe they live long enough to live a life that isn’t about the war. You won’t ever be happy, you won’t ever be able to forget about the horrors of this universe.”

“Shut down the fucking operation,” Keith snarled. “Shut it down. Children, you don’t— no. They’re children.”

“No one is a child in war,” the pink alien snarled. “No one. You say they’re children, but how is someone a child once their entire world is shattered. What is some more trauma? It is safer than out there! You’ll doom them all to death!”

“Keith!” Lance yelled.

“Good things don’t happen to heroes.”

Keith turned around and sprinted back towards the cell. Grabbing Mio who was yelling something and rushing out of the huge hole in the side of the wall. Mio yelled, what were probably curse words as he stood in the street.

Lance and Lulio were behind him, followed by Fiykki and Pilliuk. Keith put Mio down who hit him in the stomach and Keith tried not to react. Instead he looked around, rushing down one of the streets.

Bullets ricocheted around all of them. Fiyikki was screaming the entire time, despite being slung over Lulio’s shoulder. Pilliuk ran in the middle, shielded by Lulio and Lance at the back, and Keith at the front.

Mio ran ahead.

People were yelling to stop them, and arrest them for an array of crimes. People were trying to get in the way but Mio pushed them out of the way, or Keith did, before they could do anything.

Lights were flashing, from laser bullets flying all around. Hurting his eyes as the girls shielded away from the lights slightly. Obviously not used to bullets flying and lights flashing all around.

Keith was running behind Mio.

So he saw it.

He saw the way Mio’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, and her face was raw panic.

He saw the way Mio tried to flinch away from the light flying straight at her, but couldn’t. She was going too fast, and the light was going to run straight into her path.

He saw Mio get hit and how she flew sidewards at the force of it. He heard the sizzle of her skin, and he heard her cry as she was thrown sideways. Toppling over and hitting the ground with a thump.

He picked her up, barely stopping. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered over the panic and yelling. “You’re going to be okay. Okay?”

“Okay.” Mio said weakly, and Keith wasn’t even planning on looking at the wound until he was with Black. “Okay,” she said again and Keith dodged out of the way of a laser gun fire, seeing a vehicle skid to a stop in front of them Keith didn’t pause.

He grabbed his bayard in one hand. Before jumping, slamming his bayard down into the vehicle. Where the fuel tank must’ve been.

There was a flash of bright colours, as Keith and Mio were thrown forwards and the others were thrown backwards.

Hitting the ground Keith wrapped his arms around Mio, trying to protect her from hitting the ground as much as he could. Landing on his back and grunting as Mio landed on top of him.

It was silent for a moment, Keith’s ears were ringing and he managed to stand up. They were between the side of two buildings. Keith opened his gauntlet quickly and started plotting a route back to Black.

“Am I gonna die?” Mio asked, her voice fragile and Keith finally looked up. He’d put Mio against the wall, and hadn’t even seen the wound.

An ugly one. Red spilt everywhere, tinging the end of her blue plait an ugly crimson colour. It stained the white shirt she was wearing, almost turning the entire thing red. Keith swore, several times, before moving towards Mio, who was looking down at her wound dejected.

“If I die,” Mio said, “Leave me here.”

“You’re going home to your parents,” Keith tried to keep his voice level for Mio. “I’m not leaving you here. You’re going to see them.”

“They’re dead,” Mio whispered, “They’re all dead. I was snatched from one of the orphanages. There are so many orphanages,” she said weakly, staring down at the wound. “There’s no one waiting to find a body anyway.” She leant against the wall.

“You’ll find them,” Keith said, forcing the panic back down in his chest. The wound was so bad. It was so bad, bleeding everywhere. Considering the blood on the ground now, it was still bad and had possibly gone through.

He ripped a part of his coat off, and started tying that around Mio’s wound. “These bullets are poisoned anyway,” she sighed. “Just— don’t. I’m going to die anyway.”

“No,” Keith lied. “You’ll be okay.”

“I’m not stupid,” Mio leant against the wall more. “I know what injuries kill my species and what don’t. I’m not making it through this one,” her eyes were filled with tears. Spilling down her face. “Quiznack, I wanted to—” she sniffed. “I wanted to do so much— grow up, live my life—” she sniffed again and Keith wiped at her tears. 

“I wanted to grow old, do something that my family hasn’t done… ever. Fall in love. Have some children maybe, live happily,” she looked down at the wound. Her chest was heaving with sobs now. “I didn’t even ask for much—”

“I know,” Keith said softly, brushing her hair out of her face. “I know, I know.”

“Hey,” Mio said weakly, looking up. “Stars are out.”

Keith looked up too. In the hue of the dark purple, stars were twinkling, softly too. Dancing in the night and Keith nodded, looking back down at Mio. Still trying to put more pressure on the wound.

“I wanted to see the stars… I haven’t seen one up close,” she looked at Keith. “Are they beautiful?”

“They are,” Keith assured nodding, keeping all of his tears in. “Stars are so beautiful.”

“What do you reckon happens,” Mio said and Keith wiped some of her tears away. “When you die. My parents used to say that you become a star… I was so scared of death— I still am.”

Keith had nothing to say, there was nothing he could say to make this okay. This child. Had her childhood taken away by something that had happened years before she could control.

It wasn’t fair.

This whole war wasn’t fair.

“This is just some useless death,” Mio muttered, “So many people die everyday… only five people will know I even existed.”

Lulio. Lance. Fiykki. Pilliuk. Keith.

She looked up at the stars again, as there were four sets of footsteps and the familiar noise of Lance panting, along with other people breathing heavily. 

“Mio,” that was Fiykki, it was weak, with no strength.

Lance audibly gasped, and Keith didn’t turn around to see him or his reaction. Instead he kept all his focus on Mio. 

“Hey,” Keith said weakly, even though tears were threatening to spill and Mio was full on crying now. Fiykki and Pilliuk rushed either side of her, both of them had wide eyes, and tears were rolling down their cheeks too. “It’s okay. Okay? You’re going to see your parents.”

“Ha,” Mio smiled weakly. “I guess you’re right. My parents… I like that idea, I like that idea very much.” She smiled again, looking straight at Keith. “It’s funny. The first time I almost got a taste of freedom and—” she gestured at her wound.

Keith smiled, it was watery and barely counted. But he still smiled. 

Her eyes went fuzzy, like they weren’t quite there. As Fiykki and Pilliuk held both of her hands, as she looked up at the stars. Fuzzily, like she was seeing them for something much more wondrous than they were.

“The stars are beautiful,” she rasped.

Then nothing and Keith knew that there was nothing he was able to say.

She was gone.

A child. Who’s only crime was trying to live was gone.

Fiykki started crying, and Lulio pulled her away. Pilliuk stood up slowly. Grabbing a rock on the side of the wall. Walking over to the other side of the wall, where Mio wasn’t resting. And started carving.

It didn’t take long.

_Mio._ It read, and Pilliuk took a deep breath, brushing white hair away from her face. “I didn’t know her well enough to say anything else,” she glanced back at Mio. Still bleeding out. “Mio.”

And that was that.

Nothing else was said.

Not even on the lion trip back.

Everyone was completely silent. Nothing to be said.

* * *

They’d secured alliances with The Blade and Dubux, two huge alliances that meant a lot.

Keith didn’t say anything, throughout the entire thing. Not as Pilliuk and Fiykki found homes, together, because it seemed cruel to separate them after everything that had happened to them. 

Lulio hadn’t gone back to The Blade yet.

Everything had changed.

Yet nothing was different.

A child was still dead.

The nightmares were bad. Bad enough that Keith woke up crying and shaking, unable to breathe, fully convinced that this was where he was going to die. In his bed, with his lungs not working.

He hadn’t eaten in two days. Just laid in bed, not able to sleep… or do anything but replay the event. What could’ve he done better? Gotten in the way? Applied more pressure to the wound? Not let the two other girls see?

So much. He could’ve done so much more.

The door opened slowly, and Keith scowled at the light. Shiro stood there, his face had pity written across it. He moved across the room, placing a plate on Keith’s desk and sitting at the end of Keith’s bed.

“Lance told me what happened.”

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need Shiro telling him that he should’ve done more— that he could’ve done more.

“He said you were brave, kept it together for everyone else. That you made her last moments… more comfortable, she wasn’t scared.”

He turned over, his back facing Shiro.

“Keith, I know that you regret everything. I know that you’re going through one-by-one of what you should’ve and could’ve done to save her. That’s just what you do. I know you think it’s your fault, it’s not. It’s not your fault.” Shiro sighed, pulling the blankets down slightly from his head. “And we’re all here for you, don’t lock yourself away. You’re worth more than that Keith.”

He didn’t move, instead stared at the wall.

“Keith. We all love you, so much. None of us like seeing you hurting, let us help.”

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t know if he could speak anymore.

“I don’t want to move,” Keith rasped out eventually, after a long stretch of silence. “I don’t want to— I want it all to stop.”

Shiro didn’t say anything like, ‘cheer up’ or, ‘get over it’ or ‘one person does not matter’ instead he peeled the blankets back a little and Keith managed to turn over to face Shiro. His eyes filled with tears.

“Keith,” Shiro’s voice was so soft and caring that Keith wanted to live in it. “We all care about you buddy, so much. You’re brave and strong, and I know this sucks and no one’s expecting you, or Lance, to just move on like that… that’s not fair. But it’ll be okay.”

“Will it?” Keith asked weakly. “She was Pidge’s age— the war has— it’s too much. Everyone’s lost so much and it just needs to end.”

“It will end,” Shiro gave a supportive smile. “That’s a fact of life, everything ends. Even if we’re gone… this war will end one day. No matter what. Nothing lasts forever, everything dies or ends, this war won’t last forever.”

“How long,” Keith said, “How long do people need to suffer until there’s a solution. I’m so tired— of the war, of everything. I’m— I’m exhausted. I don’t want to be Black’s pilot, I don’t want to be here, I want my dad.”

“Oh, Keith.” Shiro sighed, not a tired sigh, a sympathetic sigh. “I know, it’s all so much. There’s an unreal amount of pressure on our shoulders, for everything, alliances, general teenager stuff.”

“I think,” Keith looked up at the ceiling. “After Zarkon’s gone. I’m going to tell Lance I like him. Life’s too short.”

Shiro smiled softly, ruffling Keith’s hair slightly. “You’ll get through this, you’re strong, and we’re all here to help you. Whether you like it or not. You don’t have to burden everything alone anymore.” Shiro said. “You have us in your corner.”

Keith gave a small laugh, because Yua Shirogane had said something along those lines and she’d died. Leaving Shiro and him alone, with only Adam holding them together.

But still, the childish part of his mind said: _Finally._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _For anyone who didn't read the chapter but still wants to know what happens. Here it is:_
> 
> _Keith and Lance talk to Jiroteo about their Quintessence bond and find out that he used to train Zarkon when he was younger, they also find out Meanno (his partner) used to tutor Honerva and basically adopted her. (No one knows that Honerva is alive and thought she died with Altea) Jiroteo says that Honerva was pregnant and that child will be a force to be reckoned with. Lance says "it's fine"._
> 
> _They're bored so decide to call Lulio (their friend) he's missing and it turns out he's been kidnapped by a brothel. Keith and Lance, both terrified go to save their friend. Along the way they pick up three other children, Mio, Pilliuk and Fiykki. And they decide to get everyone out. They do that, while their running Mio gets shot down. She bleeds out in an alleyway where Keith is comforting her and saying that it's alright._
> 
> _It's not alright. Keith takes it hard. The chapter ends with Shiro comforting Keith and saying that the team is there for him and Lance._
> 
> _Sidenote: Coran and Lotor had some bonding, over swords mostly and cleaning up Lotor's room (which he trashed.)_
> 
> Anyone who read the chapter! Hello! I'm sorry it was so dark. However, I'm trying to get across war, and how it isn't fair. This is the darkest chapter, and it's all a lot more light-hearted (even if Keith and Lance are still struggling a lot.) I hope you enjoyed (well...) tell me what you think in the comments.
> 
> See you next time!!!


	2. child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T.W / Content Warnings: Exactly the same as last chapter. Talks of underage sex, brothels, kidnapping, implied rape/non con, violence against a child and death of a child. 
> 
> {ADDED WARNINGS}! A lot of crying, some light vomiting. This one is lighter than last part, but still talks about everything in the last chapter. If you don't want to read that, that's a-okay and I get it. So don't feel pressured to.
> 
> Apart from that, enjoy! And watch our favourite gay-space boy try to come to terms with existing in a war +team shenanigans.

_ Blue braid, tanned skin, eyes wide. _

_ Red. A stuttering breath. _

Keith flinched, his sword jerking in his hand as the gladiator moved to knock him into another world. “Stop!” Keith yelled and the gladiator shut down, disintegrating into a pile of pixels as Keith caught his breath.

Sitting down, he eventually caught his breath from the exercise. But couldn’t breathe for a whole other reason, and put his head between his knees, panting for breath that didn’t seem to feel his lungs. Like his lungs had holes in them, no amount of air was enough to fill them. 

“Keith?” Came a soft voice, and Keith looked up. Directly at Pidge, whose eyes were slightly wide and she looked completely concerned. She took a few steps forwards, tentative steps, until she was standing next to Keith. “Why are you here? You should be in bed.”

“So should you,” Keith managed. “You’re younger, you need your eight hours of sleep or you’ll never grow.”

“I’m already short,” Pidge waved a hand, “I can handle it.” She sat down in front of him and Keith pointedly avoided looking her in the eyes. “You need to go to bed, at least I’m not straining myself. I’m sitting in front of a laptop and passing out if I need to.”

“Same,” Keith laughed, and it sounded forced. Even to him. 

Pidge wrinkled up her nose. “Keith… come on, you need to go to bed.” She tried to drag him up and Keith didn’t budge. “When was the last time you went to sleep? Don’t think I won’t drag Lance or Shiro in here to guilt you into going to sleep.”

“Need to get better,” Keith said, grabbing his bayard off the floor.

“What you need is to go to sleep,” Pidge said, her voice was firm. “Keith…”

Keith gestured around himself. “I’m fine, now you need to go to bed and I need to—”

“Also go to bed,” Pidge said firmly. Her eyebrows furrowed in… anger maybe? “Keith. When was the last time you actually, properly slept.”

“Um,” That was a great question, when was the last time he’d gone to sleep? It was at least two day, plus that half day. So that made it… an amount of hours. How long was a day again? Or a quintant? “Wait a sec. Carry the one.”

“Too long then,” Pidge said, her hands on her hips. “Keithers—”

“Don’t say that,” Keith complained. “Jus’ lemme do this.”

“I will get Lance.”

“Lance can’t make me do nothin’,'' Keith said, although he laid on his back and looked up at the ceiling of the training room. “I’m a strong independent woman.”

“Jesus,” Pidge muttered, “You really do need to go to bed. Keith. I will get Lance.”

“Don’t do that, I had the will of a piece of paper when he’s around,” Keith groaned. “That bastard, makin’ me do things.”

“Like take basic care of yourself?” Pidge asked and he nodded enthusiastically. “It’s outrageous, a crime against humanity.”

“I’m a child,” Keith said out loud. “I can’t even take care of myself. What sorta paladin can’t take care of themselves. This is pathetic—” and before he could start spiralling Pidge put a hand on his head and pat him.

Like a cat.

Pidge sighed softly, before sitting down again next to him. “Keith, it’s not pathetic. You don’t need to take care of yourself all the time. We’re here, we can’t take care of ourselves all the time and lean on you. Why don’t you lean on us?”

Fuck it. He was sleep deprived, emotional and not rational enough to have any thought of a filter, and Pidge was here, she was just as tired and would probably forget everything tomorrow anyway.

Keith snorted a bit, “The last person I leant on went missing. Was announced as dead, got thrown into a gladiator pit, came back with white hair and trauma, got his body taken over by some psycho and tried to kill me.”

“Oh shit,” Pidge muttered, “Okay… that explains so much, give me a second while I process that trauma with you.”

“Thanks Pidgeon,” Keith added as Pidge sat next to him. “I feel drunk. Have you been drunk? I hope you haven’t been drunk, you’re a baby. I’ve been drunk, it’s great. Ten out of ten, what’s not great are hangovers.”

Pidge laughed.

“Ever been high?” Keith asked and Pidge shook her head. “That’s also fun. Don’t tell Shiro, he’ll get mad at me.”

“Shiro’s also been high,” Pidge said, and Keith knew that she was trying to keep a straight face, but she was laughing a bit. “He won’t be mad at you.”

“He’s mad at me for everything,” Keith complained, before making his voice higher in a not-at-all-accurate impression of Shiro, “You’re a bad leader, stop being gay with Lance, there’s a war to fight, you had sex one time disgusting,” he dropped his voice back to normal. “Nothing I do is good enough for him! I learn to control my temper and he says that I’m a liar and not telling him the truth about fuck knows and then I have a temper and he says to control it! I can’t win with him!”

Pidge laughed and Keith glared at her.

“What about this is funny?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Pidge said through laughter. “God, it’s kinda sad and kinda funny. Keith, this is a teenager thing. I promise that Shiro loves you the way you are.”

“Then why aren’t I good enough!” Keith yelled, sitting up before clambering to his feet. “No matter what I do I’m not good enough! I wasn’t good enough to make my mum stay and now who knows where she is, apparently I wasn’t a good enough reason for Dad to stay out of that building or for Shiro to stay, or for Adam to adopt me or to save Mio.” He blinked a few times. 

Then it hit him. Like a bulldozer.

“I shouldn’t be a paladin.”

“No, no, no, no,” Pidge said, “No, stop that right now Keith Kogane. Okay, whatever you’re thinking stop it, because your brain is a fucking liar.”

“I shouldn’t—”

“No. You should. You’re good enough, okay? You’re good enough, stop thinking whatever you’re thinking.”

“But—”

“Nope.” Pidge said, “You’re good enough, you’re not the reason people left and I reckon you were the reason so many people wanted to stay. Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to leave Voltron? Go and find Matt and Dad, and I think everyone else would let me. With fuss of course, but everyone else would let me— or understand.” She grinned a bit wider, “But you wouldn’t let me, or you’d insist on going with me— or something. You’d be so stupid and throw all the maths out the window to just— be with me, make sure I wasn’t alone.”

Keith blinked a few times.

“And Lance, holy shit, he wanted to leave too. He almost left one day… after the whole Shiro thing.”

“He almost left?” Keith’s voice was fragile.

Pidge nodded once, “He had a bag and everything, he just wanted to go home… so badly. You probably don’t even remember it, it was packed in his room. But you rocked up, and—” she laughed, “This is so dumb. You said, ‘sup fuckhead’ then left.”

“That happened?”

“Yeah,” Pidge grinned, “That happened,” she smiled again, a little bit brighter too. “And he stayed. You only see people leaving, you don’t see people staying. People stay, whether you like it or not. I’ve weaseled my way into your life, and I’m staying. You think death could stop me? Ha. Okay.”

“Pidge—”

“I’m not done Gerard Gay!” She yelled, “We’re going to stay you asshole, like how you’re going to stay with us. Get that through your dumb mullet head, we’re staying Keith! We care about you and that’s why this sucks so much.”

Keith didn’t say anything, tilting his head. Which Pidge took as a response.

“We’ve all seen you tearing yourself apart these past few days. No one could get through to you, you were off in La-La-Land. And I know that’s not your fault and I know this situation sucks. I know these things, but I also know that you’re like my brother— and you were just in here. Wrecking yourself, look at your fists Keith, look at them.”

Keith looked down, seeing blood splattered around his knuckles which were purple. He hadn’t wrapped his hands then. 

“This sucks.” Pidge said, “We can get through to Lance, and Lulio. I had to get through to you like this, when you’re sleep deprived and exhausted in every sense of the word. And— I dunno, it’s you, but it sucks. Just talk to us Keith. We don’t think you're a burden, you’re not selfish for needing help every now and again.”

It was quiet for a moment. “We care about you. Let us care. You’re not Atlas.”

“Huh?”

“Atlas, carried the heavens or the world, depending on your version.” Pidge sighed and pushed up her glasses. “Okay, let us be there for you. Like how you’re there for us.”

* * *

“Then,” Allura said, almost vibrating with excitement. “Then, then, then, he was all like ‘you’re not anything because you’re a princess’ and then I punched him in the nose, which was the funniest thing I’ve done. Coran and Father were horrified, because I’d broken this suitor's nose and it never healed the right way. Meaning that his face was weirder looking, and when no one was looking, Agedar high-fived me. It was excellent.”

“Agedar was a good brother then?” Lotor asked and Allura nodded enthusiastically. He was sitting on his bed, that someone had finally told him how it worked. Which in itself was a small miracle. 

“The best,” Allura was smiling so brightly that he wasn’t sure how her face didn’t crack in half. “I loved them all, but— Agedar. Was just always there, everyone did their own thing unless we were sparring.”

Lotor nodded, humming, and leaning forwards a little. 

“It was fun,” Allura’s smile faltered for a split second, but came back brighter than ever. “My siblings, were some of the kindest people you’ll ever meet.”

“I know,” Lotor said and watched Allura’s eyes dart up to look at him, instead of down at her lap. “I— I knew him, you’ve seen it.”

Allura squinted slightly, tilting her head, before smiling. Shaking her head fondly, looking away before looking back at him. Her eyes were gentle, almost kind. “I believe my brother had interest in you.”

Instead of saying anything, Lotor twisted his face in confusion.

“Nevermind,” she waved a hand. But still smiled brightly, “Agedar and Abril used to play a prank on Aldmor—” 

The door swung open and Coran stood there, smiling slightly. Before stepping in, the door closed behind him, as he moved to sit on another seat that had been dragged into here not that long ago.

“Hello,” he said cheerfully, sitting down in the chair. “Allura, I didn’t know you’ve visited Lotor—”

Allura stood up straight away, turning around and walking out. Lotor glanced at her, then at Coran who was smiling almost fondly. “Ah,” Coran sighed, “It seems that Allura has a lot in common with Agedar.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind, my boy,” Coran said, still smiling slightly. “Stand up, we’re going to make you some new weapons.”

  
“What?” He stared at Coran. Who stared back at him, his expression strong. “But— my swords are from… him.”

“Indeed,” he twirled the end of his moustache. “I however don’t like the engraving on it. I did some more research, it’s from an Altean tragedy as well as that poem about Oriande. About how you can’t escape your true nature, it’s something that you can’t control. It’s a gloomy message, not one of hope at all.”

“‘The embers and he are the same’,” Lotor repeated, grabbing his sword off his cupboard. The engraving that Zarkon had left him, in his swords. 

His only message, from his mother… it had to be from her, as it was in Altean. Was that he was going to be the same as the dying coals that created him. Like embers he’d be snuffed out.

That was his mother’s first message and only message to him.

Staring at it for a bit longer, he put it back on the cupboard. 

The swords were from Zarkon. Weapons. While the words on the swords were from his mother, whoever that was, he didn’t know. But the messages dooming him to a fate that he felt was too real.

If even his own parents didn’t believe in him, if even they believed he was nothing more than a doomed weapon, why would anyone else think anything differently?

“What would you replace it with?” Lotor asked, looking at Coran. Instead of saying what he really was thinking.

Coran thought for a moment.

“‘ _ You’ll rise above _ ’.” He said firmly, “A quote by a Galran poet, about stepping out of the gloomy shadows of those who came before. I’ve always liked that quote. It doesn’t define you to your past, or present, it’s a promise for a future. One that you can make.”

And for once Lotor didn’t argue. That he wasn’t worth saving, that he was only Zarkon’s son and that didn’t deserve anything but whatever he was going to unleash upon himself. A bomb ready to destroy.

“Will I?” Lotor asked, not bothering to keep the cheek out of his voice and Coran smiled. “I suppose we make those swords, I like those engravings better anyway.”

Coran opened the door, it had been unlocked for… so long now. But Lotor hadn’t dared step out of his room. Coran gestured and slowly he stepped out, into a hallway that he hadn’t seen since he first went into that hallway.

Everything was so… clean, with bright whites. He clutched one of the dark purple swords that Zarkon had given him when he was so young.

The only thing that Zarkon had ever given him. Apart from pain.

  
And they were swords.

Lotor walked behind Coran, trying to hide from any other paladins. Just in case. Clutching one of his swords a bit tighter than he needed to.

“It’s late,” Coran said, “Everyone’s in bed. Apart from Keith and Pidge.”

“Why are they awake? How much sleep do humans need?”

“More than average,” Coran reasoned. “Although… it could be because they’re teenagers. Keith and Pidge sleep the least out of all of them, even Shiro sleeps more than those two do.”

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say.

“It’s worrying. Lots of them lose sleep, they all don’t sleep enough. But Keith and Pidge… Keith almost makes sense, he’s part-Galran and therefore doesn’t need to sleep as much. But Pidge, she worries me.”

“Perhaps stress?”

“Perhaps,” Coran replied, “I believe she’s working on—”

“Don’t tell me.”

Coran didn’t say anything, and Lotor felt like he needed to explain himself to the sudden silence.

“He… has druids. Anything I’m told or see, if he wants to. He can also see. So— don’t.”

“You’re going back?” Coran asked, although his voice didn’t betray any emotion.

“No.”

“But you’re expecting it.”

“Yes.”

It was silent, until they reached a room. It looked like one of the rooms in the storybooks that Lotor used to read in the library. With metal everywhere, machines to manipulate the metal, floating screens to design the weapon.

Slowly he spun around, looking around. Coran walked over to one of the screens and Lotor followed afterwards, standing next to him, his hands hovering over the screen. “Quiznack,” he muttered. “What would you like me to do?”

“Create your swords,” Coran replied, smiling. “You have planets worth of swords to look through. Surely there must be something that you think you can use in a fight? Make the swords you wanted, not the swords you were given.”

Lotor glanced down at one of his dual swords, the other one had been left in his room. A long, Galran sword, with the slightest curve, light and easy to use. Easy to train a small child to use these.

They were versatile. Common.

What Zarkon wanted him to use.

The swords that Zarkon used once.

He wasn’t going to use the same swords that… he did. Not anymore.

So without a second glance, he pushed the sword aside. It clattered against the ground and Lotor looked at Coran. “Do you own any swords?”

Coran grinned a little wider, crossing the room and taking a sword off the wall. 

Holding it in his hands, he spun it and it turned into a dagger with a flash of aqua light. But an Altean one, he imagined, with a large blade, much bigger than the handle. Looking more like an ax than a dagger.

Lotor loved it.

“May I have it?”

He was given the sword without a second of hesitation and Lotor started working. Searching through swords found across the galaxy. Some he had no clue how anyone used them, some barely counted as swords.

Earth.

The home of the paladins.

It seemed fitting enough to at least look at some of their swords, see if they had anything to offer. Coran smiled, as he started scrolling through swords, looking at them. Marvelling at some and laughing at others.

Eventually he landed on a sword. Shamshir. Where it was from, and how it was used, he had no idea. It was quite similar to some of the Altean swords he’d seen. 

It was a hooked sword, bending more than a Galran sword would ever be allowed to until it was deemed ‘unworthy’. So it was an obvious choice, he plugged that in the screen and grinned, as he looked at Coran.

“Can I have magic swords?”

Coran laughed, “My boy,” he said, the smile bold in his voice. “My boy, your Altean blood hasn’t been awakened. You can’t tie your Quintessence to a chair, let alone weapons.”

“Huh?”

  
“It’s how the bayards work. The Quintessence is tied to the bayard, it works like that for—” he cut himself off and Lotor didn’t mind that. “It works like that for many people. You don’t have enough control over Quintessence to tie it to anything. Only Alteans and some rare people have that control, the paladins themselves have lions to do that for them. So… no, well. You could, but they wouldn’t really be your swords.”

Lotor glanced over.

“They’d be my swords. For all intents and purposes. They’d be mine, tied to my Quintessence. In Altea it’s a tradition. Parents and children share swords until the child can control their Quintessence— I understand if that’s not something you’d want. I’m not your parent.”

“Sure.”

“Pardon?”

“I’d like that,” Lotor said, meaning every word. 

“Oh.”

“Or not— if you don’t want to do that, that’s okay—”

“It’s more than okay, my boy. More than okay.” He was smiling widely. “I’d be honoured.”

“Thank you, Coran.”

Coran smiled, and Lotor couldn’t help but smile too.

* * *

“Keith.”

There was a cup thrown and Keith’s bayard was drawn. Pointing under the chin of someone… someone who was Lulio, looking surprised, but not scared at all. He glanced down at the sword, before up at Keith.

“You almost took my head off.”

“If I wanted your head off, it would be at my feet,” he responded, before looking down at the broken cup at their feet. “I’ll sort that,” Keith mumbled, dropping down and putting the bits of mug into the gloved part of his hand.

“Don’t cut your hand,” Lulio said, also dropping down and picking up some more of the cup. “Good morning, by the way.”

“Morning.”

“Did you sleep?” Lulio asked, standing back up and throwing several parts of the now broken cup into the bin. “Tell me you slept, because Lance and I are three seconds away from sedating you—”

“I slept,” Keith responded, getting the last parts of the cup into his palm and dumping them into the bin. “In Pidge’s room, eight hours and everything. You should be proud.”

  
“Nice,” Lulio was properly smiling. “Good job. Well… there’s a debriefing, from a couple days ago. Shiro said we all needed time to process, and I guess that time’s up. We get to tell a step-by-step accurate account of what happened.” He sighed, “This is gonna end messily.”

“It might not,” Keith shrugged.

Everyone knew everyone, less and less debriefings and meetings ended badly now. Mostly ending with a small argument between himself and Allura, or himself and Shiro. One time it was Keith and Lance arguing and Keith hid on the training deck for an hour until Lance found him.

Anyway. Most of the time they ended well. Unless they didn’t.

Lulio laughed, properly this time, throwing his head back. “Keith, Keith, Keith, anger from two quintants ago has been brewing. Everyone’s concerned, and curious, and about to explode from anticipation.”

“Ugh.” Keith sighed, walking over to the Altean equivalent of a fridge (thank you Pidgeon Holt) and opening it, flicking through the various items of food he was going to eat. He got out one container of food goo, meant to taste like spaghetti. “How pissed are they?”

“Not pissed, just worried. Me too, honestly. You took it hard.”

Keith got out another container. He was planning on eating all of these. He hadn’t eaten in… two days… maybe longer? “Was I not supposed to?”

“No, that’s not what I’m saying. It’s that Mio—”

_ Blue braid, tanned skin, eyes wide. _

_ So much red. A stuttering breath. _

“Fuck,” Keith muttered, gripping onto one of the benches. Seeing his knuckles turn white as his hands shook with the force he was holding onto the table. “Fuck,” he repeated. “It’s just a name.”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Lulio said softly, and he didn’t look up. Instead he focused and unfocused on his fist. “Okay? You’re allowed to have emotions about this, you were there, you saw it all happen.”

Keith closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

“It’s okay. No one is expecting you to be okay, we all know you Keith, and we all care about you. We don’t care if you’re struggling right now, we’re still here.”

“I know. I know. It’s that— oh God.” He doubled over slightly, head pointed down at his shoes, as both hands gripped onto the counter. Tears stinging his eyes, and something clogging up his throat, a huge lump, which he couldn’t breathe around.

He couldn’t cry. He wasn’t allowed to cry, nothing happened to him, it all happened to Mio— he was alive. Mio wasn’t, he wasn’t allowed to mourn someone that he didn’t know. It was a war. People died. That was war, death and destruction.

So he couldn’t cry.

Despite the prickling in his eyes, the guilt and shame in his stomach and the lump in his throat. He wasn’t allowed to cry.

A sob escaped his throat, ripping itself from his throat, as a loud and ugly sound ripped itself from him and echoed around the room. 

He pressed a hand over his mouth. His shoulders were shaking. Tears streamed down his face, and he stayed completely quiet, only his shoulders shaking. Not a single noise got through the hand clamped so hard over his mouth that he could feel every tooth through his lip.

“Keith—”   
  


“Don’t.” He managed, through his hand. 

“Keith—”

“I said don’t!” Keith yelled, his voice echoing around the room and Lulio blinked. He didn’t flinch away, or leave the room, he stood there, quietly, as Keith held onto the counter like it was a lifeline.

Another sob escaped, echoing around the room. An ugly broken sound, as Keith sunk down, his back against the counter. His head resting between his knees as he heaved for breaths, with tears splattering against the ground softly.

He had no clue if Lulio was there or not, and he couldn’t find it within himself to care. If there were footsteps he couldn’t hear anything over his sobs and ragged breathing, forcing and contorting itself in his throat. 

There was a hand on his knee, and Keith jerked upwards. Panic shooting through his body. Before looking at Lance, and the panic dissipated like ice on a hot day. 

His face was sad, and soft, “Oh, Keith,” he said softly, care interwoven with every syllable. He shuffled forwards, before pausing. “Can I hug you?”

Keith hugged him, flinging his arms around his neck, and pulling him close. Crying into his neck, sobs echoing around the kitchen as Lance just held him. He was rubbing soothing circles on his back, and smoothing out his hair, before ruffling it again, and needing to smooth it all again.

“You’ll be okay,” Lance whispered, “We’ll be okay. I promise.”

That was all he said for a long time, as Keith sobbed, even when there were no tears left falling and his throat was hoarse from sobs and cries being ripped from them, tearing up the inside of his throat. Like a cheese-grater being taken to his throat.

The tears weren’t falling anymore, but he was still sobbing into Lance’s neck and Lance didn’t seem to mind at all, or if he did he didn’t say anything, and Keith trusted that Lance would’ve said something if he was uncomfortable.

After so long, with ragged breathing, dried tears, and ear-splitting sobs. Something rose in his gut, he let go of Lance.

Lance reacted quicker than he did. Grabbing one of the food-good containers from on top of the counter. One which was basically empty, flinging the lid aside, and shoving it underneath Keith’s face.

The vomit was mostly spit, saliva and stomach acid, because he hadn’t eaten in so long. His mouth and throat burned, and involuntarily he sobbed again into the container, and Lance didn’t say anything else.

Just rubbed his back.

It was quiet for a bit longer, before Keith’s sobs got quieter, and his shoulders weren’t earthquakes anymore. Lance smiled softly, looking at him, before putting an arm around his waist.

Keith curled into his chest and Lance responded by smoothing out his hair, and hugging Keith a bit closer.

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not.”

“No, it’s not. But it’ll be okay,” Lance responded, and Keith looked up at him, craning his neck to do so. “We’ll be okay.”

Keith didn’t say anything, letting his head fall and lean against Lance’s chest. “Did I fail?” He asked, not risking to look up at Lance.

The words hung in the air and Keith winced. Sitting up, and instead sitting next to Lance. Whose mouth was pressed in a line, thinking.

“No.” He said, “No, there was nothing to fail at. Nothing that you could’ve done, if it had been you shot down instead you’d be dead. It isn’t your fault, so you didn’t fail. So, no. It isn’t your fault, nothing could’ve been done differently and if it could, it may have ended so much worse.”

“Or—”

“Nah, whatever it is, nah.”

“Lance—”

“Keith.”

“Hey, Lance!” Came Hunk’s voice and Lance looked over, peeking his head over the counter top.

“Hey, Hunk! How have you been?”

“Great, great, you saw me last night. Have you seen Keith? The debriefing is soon, and he’s not on the training deck.”

“I’ll go look for him,” Lance said smiling, “You can start the meeting, Lulio is there and he can tell the first part anyway.”

He’d never been so grateful for Lance Charles McClain, and if he had a little bit less self restraint he’d kiss him.

Hunk hummed, turning around and walking out. Leaving Keith on the floor, and Lance chuckling, leaning across the counter. Before looking back towards Keith, “Are you alright?”

“Pft, no.”

“Okay, are you alright enough to go to this meeting,” he held his hand out for Keith, and Keith took it. Letting Lance haul him to his feet. 

And didn’t let go of his hand.

Lance didn’t let go either.

Keith took a deep breath, rubbing at his face, with the hand that Lance wasn’t holding. “Yeah… yeah. Just cried, I don’t reckon I could cry again if I wanted to.”

“It wasn’t your fault—”

“That wasn’t a challenge,” Keith muttered. Wiping at his eyes. “Let’s do this.”

The short walk to the dining area was quiet, with Lance glancing at him and Keith looked straight ahead. Flinging open the door, which was quite hard to do with buttons opening the doors.

But he managed.

Everyone looked at him. Everyone was, Allura, Pidge, Coran, Hunk, Shiro, Lulio. Kolivan on a screen, a lot of other important coalition members and Lotor. Lotor was sitting behind the screens, so no one on the said screens could see him.

Lurking in the shadows. White hair falling across his face, he looked like something straight out of a bad horror novel. Lotor didn’t go to murder them all, instead raised an eyebrow, and Lance tensed up.

“Sorry we’re late,” Keith bit out and Allura gave him a look.

He looked away from the screens and at Lulio who was smiling. “Sup, Keith, Lance,” and Keith was almost sure that was just to piss off the important coalition members, because of Kolivan's grimace.

“Sup,” Lance replied, tearing his eyes away from Lotor. Before looking at the screens and moving to stand next to Lulio.

Keith stayed in front of the door, Pidge and Shiro moving over to stand either side of him.

“We have some alarming news,” Allura said, and Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes into another dimension. Instead standing there, keeping his face neutral and passive. “You all know of Elkarla?”

There were several nods, and Pidge slinked away to the side. Just out of view of the screens, opening her laptop and starting to type frantically. Keith glanced at her, then back at Shiro who shrugged.

Some more furious tapping and Lance was also looking at Pidge.

They caught eyes and Lance shrugged.

“Two of our paladins, and one of our closest allies,” she glanced at Lulio who gave a wide smile at that. “Were on Elkarla.”

Cue some gasps, and Keith actually rolling his eyes this time. 

Shiro elbowed him in the side.

He never did like these meetings, they always felt like a chore, or that they had someone else to answer to. Someone else to appease, something else instead of saving the universe. Needing to appease the coalition took away time that they could actually be doing something. 

He hated them. Hate was a better word for it, after all, authority and himself had never mixed.

Pidge made a small noise, before looking slightly wildly up at Keith. Beckoning him over, Keith didn’t hesitate, walking out of the frame, at Shiro’s slightly tired look and Allura’s death-stare.

Taking a deep breath, Pidge turned around the computer, as Allura apologised for Keith. “I looked into Elkarla, and— some of the people who buy from there. From brothels. Some of them were coalition members.”

“I know.”

“You know?” Pidge frantically whispered, being careful to keep it down. “And you didn’t say anything?”

“I was going to bring it up here,” Keith murmured, his eyes dropping back down to the computer, “Did you find out which members?”

“Iyort.” Pidge said tentatively. “Utaria, Qwilop, Miyurt,” she gestured to a list. “There are exactly thirteen planets who’s leaders buy from Elkarla and surrounding planets. About twenty more who have contact with them, so they profit off of Elkarla.”

“Oh. God.” Keith muttered. “Surely we can just drop them— if they’re doing that—”

“Berlwick,” Pidge whispered, and Keith could feel the blood draining out of his face. “They’re one of them… Berlwick.”

Berlwick. One of the central alliance hubs, along with Olkarion and some other planets. The people who were running the show, recruiting more people when Voltron couldn’t do it themselves. Berlwick had allied about one-hundred planets with Voltron.

Planets that had promised wealth, soldiers and made it so that this war wasn’t a battle that Voltron always had to fight alone. 

“Oh. God.” Keith muttered again, glancing towards the screen. Where the leader of Berlwick was standing proudly, laughing at one of Allura’s jokes. His dumb hair, which stuck up like a mohalk bobbing when he did so. “Berlwick,” he muttered. “Send that to my gauntlet.”

“Keith. We need to think about this.”

“I’ve thought about it, Galra colonies buy from Elkarla and surrounding planets.  _ Galra _ , I’m not going to let us be like them. We’re supposed to be the good guys,” he whispered back frantically, looking over his shoulder to see Allura glaring at him. “Allura would agree. The team can’t be associated with people like that.”

“Think of all the troops we’ll lose, Keith,” Pidge whispered. “They might side with the Galra… this isn’t going to end well. You’re the leader, and I support you. Just don’t let your emotions effect this—”

“My emotions make me different,” Keith whispered back, his tone deadly.

“Different to?”

“Them.” Keith said, a bit too loudly. His tone firm. “I’m not going to be like them. I’m not going to make cold-hearted decisions based off of numbers over people like Kolivan does, or Zarkon.”

“Okay.” Pidge nodded. “Okay. I just wanted you to know what this could do.”

“Fuck everything up?” Keith replied. Pidge opened her mouth when—

“I haven’t seen your leader,” said the leader of Berlwick, and the smile was clear in his voice. “I’ve heard so much about him, he is yet to speak. So is the green paladin, she too, also has not spoken yet. Where are they?”

Pidge met his eyes, Keith nodded once. 

She nodded back.

Keith stepped back into frame, his arms crossed. Looking at the dozens of screens in front of him. Allura looked like she was panicking, and praying that he wasn’t about to say anything to lose all their alliances.

He was.

“Anything you’d like?” Keith asked, using his politest voice, as Allura had taught him to do. “I was doing something rather important, so this must be good.”

“Keith.” Came Shiro’s voice, and Keith elected to ignore him.

“I was just curious about your time on Elkarla,” the leader of Berlwick said, smiling too widely. “It is an interesting planet, is it not? With no rules, I am just curious to what you saw and encountered.”

Lance was paling, Allura looked like she was ready to step in. Hunk was shifting on his feet nervously, Shiro was watching him with caution.

Pidge was smiling, she knew what was about to happen.

“Sure,” he replied cheerily, like Elkarla wasn’t one of the most traumatic times of his life. “If that’s something you think would contribute, I’m more than happy to talk about it.”

The leader of Berlwick looked like he was paling, and rapidly.

Good.

“So, a long time ago, I was banned from a planet. Gytry, which I’m still banned from. They may be part of the alliance now, they might be here. Lance and I got banned, so we couldn’t go to one of the missions there. Simple enough?”

When there were no questions he continued.

“I was bored out of my mind, and Lance was too. So we decided to call our friend, Lulio,” he gestured towards Lulio who gave a small wave. “He didn’t pick up. Kolivan did. Kolivan told us that he was last seen on Elkarla.”

Kolivan didn’t give anything away with his face, but Keith hoped he was at least uncomfortable.

“Now. Lulio, here, is a prince. A prince of Dubux, it’s a planet on the outskirts of the known universe, but kind people who helped us out in our time of need.” That was one way of putting it, but worked well enough. “Since he’s a prince, he can donate countless resources to The Blade. Who Lulio was working for.”

He smiled at the other faces, “But he wouldn’t go back for Lulio. A crowned prince, technically a king, I think.” He glanced at Lulio who nodded. “Now, Lulio is one of our best-friends, so we went after him instead.”

Several gasps, which Keith spoke right over.

“We infiltrated the last brothel where Lulio was seen. Sure enough, we find him. Now, a fun fact about Lulio. He’s only sixteen solar Deca-Phoebe's old,” Keith said, waiting for the stunned silences and gasps.

Of which there were many.

“More shockingly, in the room with him. The room where they— train you— were three girls. All of them were orphans, having been snatched from somewhere. They were all younger than Lulio. I think they were about fourteen solar Deca-Phoebe’s old, maybe younger.”

Stunned silence. Which Keith let happen.

“And I don’t reckon this is the first time something like that has happened. Where  _ children  _ are forced into  _ brothels  _ and get branded all up on their neck, to show just that. It is disgusting.” He took a deep breath, and Lotor gave a nod from behind the screens.

Right. He could do this.

“Lance and I, we managed to get out Lulio and the three girls and escape. One of them died in the process,” Keith managed, his voice getting clogged up. “Let me repeat, I watched a child bleed out.” He took another deep breath, which was shaky at best. “Right. We got out, the rest of us. Any questions?” 

Silence. Complete silence. From everyone, even the team.

He wasn’t done yet.

Oh no. He was not done.

“Let’s go back a bit, to the escape. Lance blew a hole in the side of a room, but before that, the owners were coming up and I stepped out to defend. It was an easy fight, I’ve fought rocks that gave me more challenge. I have one of the owners pinned and they say.”

Keith took another deep breath, as Lance looked at him. Eyes wide and confused. “That people in the coalition, buy from Elkarla.”

Another beat of silence. Mortified, rather than stunned.

“That’s right!” Keith yelled, in his best game-show host voice, “People in among our ranks buy from a place like  _ that  _ and I thought this wasn’t true, because surely it couldn’t be? Voltron, and therefore the Voltron Coalition, stand for justice and freedom and there is no freedom in forced prosetution and not justice about that, and there is no justice in innocent people dying in and because of these brothels.”

He gave himself a split second.

“And, hey, Pidge looked into Elkarla. Because it’s horrific, and Lance told them his story. This is the first time that they’re hearing my side. So, Pidge looked into Elkarla. Three guesses to what she found?”

Still silence.

How Keith managed to get about fifty people silent at once was beyond him.

He let the silence rest for a moment.

“That this is true,” Keith said, his voice low. “All of these things are true. That people in the Voltron Coalition. Who are supposed to stand for freedom, and justice against oppressors. Their leaders buy from Elkarla and surrounding planets.”

He looked at all the screens. All with variously shocked faces, even Kolivan looked concerned.

“Want me to read the damn list?” He asked, “I can read this if you’d like—”

“Keith.” Allura said warningly. “Think about this.”

“I’ve thought about it.” He deadpanned, “Iyort, Utaria, Qwilop, Miyurt, Terrop, Ajsfe, Esgim, Awifbziz.” He started reading, before pausing. “Berlwick, and most of the associate alliances from Berlwick.” He looked straight at the leader. “Consider this allyship ended. We have a list, and if the name of your planet is on the list— be very fucking careful, and you better be begging for forgiveness otherwise I’m letting the Galra get you and everything you hold dear—”

Shiro grabbed him, pulling him backwards with a lot of force and out of frame.

Dragging him through an archway, down the hallway, and into a room. One of the mostly empty ones, where Shiro let go of him. 

He closed the door and glared.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I don’t give a fuck,” he responded. “I couldn’t care less if I tried. Shiro. Not all of us are trying to make everyone happy, we can’t be allies with fucking everyone, and I don’t want to be. If our allies are— like that— then why do they get to be a part of the coalition and get our protection when they don’t stand for our ideals.”

“Keith—”

“No. No. Get fucked. Don’t ‘Keith’ me, we are past that stage, where you can calm me down by saying my name, or locking me in my fucking room. Or grounding me, or whatever you did when I was a child!”

“You are still a child, Keith.” Shiro’s tone was calm.

“I’m not a child! Any childhood I had left died with Mio!” Keith yelled and watched Shiro flinch backwards. 

Silence dropped over the pair of them, as Keith didn’t say anything. His arms crossed as he looked down at his feet, “I haven’t been a child since Pops died, and that’s the long and short of it. So don’t call me a child, not now.”

Shiro didn’t say anything for a moment. “You shouldn’t of done that, we could’ve settled it ourselves, quietly.”

“I’ve never done anything quiet in my life.”

“Well, maybe you should,” Shiro snapped. “Because you fucked it up with some of our most important allies.”

“We can’t be allied with people like that.”

“This isn’t black and white, Keith. They’re not completely evil, like how we’re not completely good. We were going to torture Lotor, if another ally suggested that, what would you have done?”

“Also yell at them, I didn’t want to torture anyone. How am I the one with the morals here?” Keith yelled, and Shiro’s face stayed calm. “They’re assisting in the murder, kidnapping and— of children. If I’m the leader—”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be the leader.”

“Yeah!” Keith yelled, before taking a deep breath, “Yeah, maybe I shouldn’t be. I never wanted to be the leader, I just knew that Lance wanted to be the leader and so apparently Black thought I was worthy.” He sighed, “I’m more than happy to step down.”

“Keith, I didn’t mean that.”

“You did and that’s okay, I agree.”

“Keith—”

“No, it’s fine. Really. It’s fine. Everything’s fine, this is fine.”

“I don’t think you’re fine.”

“Wow! What gave it away? The fact I am about to have a mental breakdown? Personally that kinda gave it away for me,” he said and Shiro just looked at him. “I am about to have a breakdown, I am going to joke about it.”

“Keith, buddy.” Shiro sighed, as Keith paced up and down, shaking his hands out. “It probably wasn’t the right route, or the right way to go about it and— but you did it and I’m proud of you.”

He stopped mid-step, looking at Shiro.

“What?”

“I’m proud of you.”

“I— okay.”

“I don’t tell you that enough, do I?”

“I—” Keith had nothing to stay, and was just staring at Shiro. Jaw slack and his eyes wide. “Huh?”

“It might not have been the right choice, but it was your choice. That’s important, your morals don’t bend like the rest of us, and that’s something we need. Because you’re always going to be the voice of reason, the idyllic version of what we should all be.”

“That’s overstating things.”

“I don’t think it is, you’re the team's emotions if that makes sense. You have very little control over them, and react the way that we’re all reacting internally. I was thinking about kicking out alliance members when you started speaking about some of them buying from Elkarla. We all were.”

Keith crossed his arms, looking at the ground.

“But I wasn’t going to do anything, not like that anyway, no matter how badly I wanted to. You did. Without hesitation you exposed them and threatened them and I’m proud of you for that.”

“For having emotions and being impulsive?”

“For having emotions and being impulsive.” Shiro confirmed, “Sure we’re in shit now, and Allura’s probably going to try to kill you, but you made the right choice. No matter what anyone tells you, that was the right choice.”

“Ethically maybe.”

“We’re supposed to be ethical, better than the Galra empire. There’s nothing more human about emotions and impulsiveness, something that the empire doesn’t have, and we’re supposed to be different.”

“I still fucked everything up,” he groaned, putting a hand to his forehead. “Now there go half of our alliances.”

“That’s dramatic. It’s about thirty planets, we have hundreds of others allied with us. It’s a setback, but one we can move on from.” Shiro gave a small smile, “This isn’t forever, and maybe we’ll need to focus on alliances for a while. But— we got this, this is better in the long run.”

Keith nodded, looking away and crossing his arms.

“I’m really proud,” Shiro repeated, a smile across his face. “Really, I’m so proud. Even when you screw it all up, you screw it up for the right reasons and that’s good enough. So, I’m proud of you, for being you.”

“Thanks.” Keith deadpanned. “Right after you told me I shouldn’t be the leader, I’m really feeling the pride radiating off of you.”

“You’re a good leader,” Shiro said, his tone just as flat, but Keith knew he meant it. “If you weren’t you would’ve been overruled already. The team’s gotten so much closer with you at the helm, you’ve all become better people and a better team, and you can’t see it because you’re in it…” Shiro grinned, “The team got better with you incharge, everyone has mostly functional sleep schedules now. You should be the leader.”

Keith shrugged and Shiro shrugged back.

Keith shrugged again, and Shiro shrugged again.

“At the same time, you don’t have to do everything by yourself. You can ask for help, that’s something I learnt and are still learning, you don’t have to do everything. We’re here for you, when you need it the most. That’s what families do.”

“Thank you,” Keith said, meaning every word and then some. “Thanks for always being there.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

“I do. You were there before everyone else, you were the first person to really give me a chance. You found me in a dumpster and went ‘good enough, he is my brother now’ and that saved me from being another statistic and when Yua and Eiji died and when my world was falling apart you were there.”

Keith felt tears prickling his eyes, and was pretty sure Shiro’s eyes were just as teary.

“You really don’t need to thank me Keith, I’m always going to be here, whether you like it or not.”

“Allura’s going to kill me.”

“Yup.”

There was another break for silence, when the door stood open and Allura’s silhouette was in the doorway. With Lance behind her.

“Allura—”

“Keith Kogane!” Allura yelled, and Keith didn’t flinch back. “What the quiznack was that? You have three seconds to explain before you’re off my ship!”

“Okay, okay,” Lance said, walking next to Allura. “‘Lura, calm down. We’re not kicking Keith off the ship.”

“Watch me,” Allura bit back, “We spent so long getting all of those allies! And you just— did that! We’ve lost thirty-two allied planets and their colonies. Think of all those resources, and now most of them are going to side with the Galra!”

“We’ve gained some,” Lance argued back, still in between him and Allura. “Things like this garner respect. A lot of it too. Allura, this isn’t an argument you’re going to win. Keith did the right thing, and just because it doesn’t align with your way of thinking doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”

“He jeopardised the alliance! Berlwick, one of the most important allies, is gone, they’re going to join the Galra, and with everything they know— that will be our downfall. How many people are going to die because Keith can’t keep his temper in check once!”

Keith blinked, as Allura tried to move forward but Lance stopped her.

“Voltron stands for goodness, buying from Elkarla isn’t goodness,” Lance said, “You weren’t on Elkarla, you don’t know what it’s like. Now stop it.”

“Can’t even defend yourself?” Allura spat and Keith just looked at her.

He knew that she was about to say something she didn’t mean.

Because while Keith had a temper, Allura’s was worse, it just stewed over time.

“Are you even on our side? Or are you trying to take us down from the inside? I mean it makes sense— you let Lance fall.”

Ouch. Okay then.

Keith stared for a long moment, as Allura glared over Lance’s shoulder.

“Why are you even the leader? You’re unworthy to pilot Black! Or any lion! I should’ve kicked you off when we found out you were Galran!”

“Enough.” Shiro snapped, and Allura didn’t stop glaring, not even for a moment. “That’s too far, Allura. You don’t talk to one of my paladins like that.”

“Your paladins?” Allura yelled, shaking Lance off of her, and Lance moved back quietly, to stand next to Keith. “Your paladins? Were they your paladins when you tried to kill them? Or when Pidge wanted to leave? They are not your paladins.”

Lance shifted next to him, and Keith met his eyes.

_ ‘Are you alright’  _ he tried to ask with his eyes. Which must’ve worked because Lance gave a sharp nod and looked back at Allura and Shiro.

“It’s like my parents fighting,” Lance whispered. “It’s just… weird to me.”

“Oh, so they’re yours then? I’m sorry Allura, but you are a child, they are also children. The only power you hold over us is that you're a princess of a planet that doesn’t exist anymore! You’re a paladin, you’re not their boss, you don’t get the final say. They’re not your paladins, because if they were, you wouldn’t talk to Keith like that. Ever.”

Allura gave a deadly look at Shiro, a weaker man would’ve curled into a ball and cried. Shiro was not weak.

“They’re not your paladins.”

“Fine! Then they’re my kids,” Shiro yelled back and Keith had grabbed onto Lance’s sleeve.

If he minded, he didn’t say anything.

“And?” Shiro yelled again, “They’re kids, you hold impossibly high standards to all of them. Keith needs to be the best with a sniper gun, Lance needs to be the best with a blast, Hunk engineering, Pidge coding. They’re all traumatised, Allura, from this war! They’re kids.”

“Kids don’t fight in wars!” Allura yelled back, and Keith’s grip on Lance’s sleeve tightened. “You can’t be a kid in a war, you can be young, you can not be a kid. We’re all traumatised, but that trauma isn’t going to stop. A war can stop!”

“The war will never be over!” Shiro yelled back, and Allura stopped completely. Staring at him, her mouth open and eyes wide. “It can’t be,” he wasn’t yelling anymore. “War is a state of mind, it’ll never be over. Ever. Until everyone who knew about this war is dead, the war isn’t over.”

“We— I—” Allura spluttered, “We— just need to defeat Zarkon…”

“It’s not that easy,” Shiro shook his head, his voice sad and Keith’s grip tightened on Lance’s sleeve impossibly so. “For all we know, Zarkon is a figure head! Killing him would fracture the empire, make it weaker, but not gone. Getting rid of a figurehead doesn’t mean their ideology or cause is gone! There will always be Zarkon’s.”

“No—”

“There are always Zarkon’s, there are always Voltron’s and there are always Earth’s.” Shiro took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. “Killing Zarkon stops some fronts, taking down an entire empire stops some fronts. But there will always be bad people, and we can’t fight them all.”

“We can try—”

“We can’t,” Shiro said, his voice sounding exhausted, with exhaustion clipping every word. “We can’t, Allura… you’re young.”

“I’m not!”

“You’re young,” Shiro repeated. “You’re Keith’s age, and Keith is young… and you’re naive, even for someone who’s seen so much war. Killing one person doesn’t stop it, people are bad! Zarkon isn’t whispering in all of these people’s ears, those people are like him. Killing Zarkon would change some things— sure, but there are always Zarkon’s.”

  
“People are good—”

“They’re not!” Shiro yelled and Keith grabbed Lance’s sleeve again. “People aren’t good, or evil. If we kill Zarkon there are going to be so many problems! This war will never be over, not really, this isn’t  _ a  _ war it’s  _ the  _ war.”

Allura blinked.

“This war will never really be over. Even if there’s no one fighting and the universe is at peace. We’re still fighting, we’re going to fight this war over and over again in our heads until the day we die.”

Complete silence.

The type of silence of when someone proved a point, the type of silence which is an agreement to a horrible fact.

“Allura, you need to apologise for how you spoke to Keith.” Shiro said, and Allura opened her mouth. “Not now, not when you don’t mean it. Apologise later, when you actually mean it.”

She nodded once, before turning around and leaving.

Okay then.

* * *

“Can you deepthroat a banana?” Pidge asked, looking at Keith.

“What?”

Shiro spat his coffee out on the table. Spluttering and coughing, as Hunk thumped him on the back.

“You heard me.”

“W—what? Why?”

“It could be useful.”

“For?”

“Everything. For example—”

“Nope,” Hunk said, massaging his temples. “Don’t give an example. Whatever you do, do not give an example.”

Shiro was still choking on coffee and Lance was looking slightly amused, sitting at the table, eating his food goo. As Pidge shrugged like that was a perfectly normal thing to say.

“What? I don’t have a gag-reflex, and with your weird Galra shit, you might not either.”

“I—”

“He used to gag when brushing his teeth,” Shiro managed, scowling down at the coffee, “The first time he did it wasn’t good, it was the first night he was at the Shirogane family home, and he brushed his teeth and gagged. I honestly thought he was dead.”

“I do it when I’m stressed,” Keith glared at Shiro.

“You’re always stressed.”

“Exactly!” Keith glared. “Okay? Leave me alone. Pidge has an extra tooth and no one talks about that.”

“Because she can brush her teeth,” Lance added, laughing and if he didn’t look so attractive while laughing, Keith would’ve punched him. In the nose. With a lot of force. “Can you really not brush your teeth without gagging?”   
  


“I can.”   
  


“He can’t,” Shiro said flatly, his face just that, even though there was a twinkling in his eyes. “It’s funny, would recommend listening to Keith brushing his teeth, he threw up once.”

“I threw up from crying.”

“Oh, yeah.” Shiro said thoughtfully, “He also throws up when he cries really hard.”

“Again? How is this my fault?”

“It isn’t. Normally you can tell how broken up he is about something when he cry vomits.”

“I cry vomit when I’m really stressed,” Keith argued, and he wasn’t quite sure what world he lived in when a question about deep-throating bananas can turn into a conversation about his crying habits. “Can we stop talking about my crying habits, I’ve cried like four times.”

“Ever?” Hunk asked, “Dude,” he poked Keith in the cheek. “Are you even human—”

“No.”

“Oh. Right.” Hunk muttered, looking down at his food goo. 

“You have not cried four times,” Shiro said, “Ever. I can count at least ten.”

“I can count a few,” Lance added.

“Fine. Like fourteen.” Keith relented and Lance hummed, looking off to the side like he was doing invisible equations. “In my entire life. There. I have no emotions, emotions are for— people without traumatic childhoods.”

Everyone stared at him.

“Your first reaction to any situation shouldn’t be to joke about your traumatic childhood,” Pidge deadpanned. 

“Imagine if he’s fighting Zarkon, and Zarkon’s doing an evil-person speech and Keith just goes, ‘my childhood!’ Then in Zarkon’s confusion, I stab him,” Lance said, grinning ear-to-ear.

“Why do you stab him?” Pidge asked.

“Because I’m always near Keith in battle. Considering I basically only train with him and Lotor, of course I gravitate towards him.”

“That’s the only reason,” Pidge snorted and Lance glared at her. 

Lulio walked into the room, and Keith had almost forgotten that he was here. He paused, looking at everyone. “Hey.”

“Can you deepthroat a banana?” Pidge asked, and Hunk started choking on his food goo this time, as Shiro thumped him on the back.

“What’s a banana?” Lulio asked, sitting in between Pidge and Lance. “Is it a person, because probably—”

Shiro started choking this time, and Keith got up and thumped both Hunk and Shiro on the back, because it would be awkward if they both died. As Lulio looked around, actually confused, as Pidge was banging her fist on the table laughing.

Lance sighed, “It’s a long fruit.”

“Oh, for sure,” Lulio nodded as Pidge wheezed like a kettle. 

Eventually when the various coughing and laughter died down, Lulio stood up, and Keith was almost sure it was to prove a point. “So. I’m not going back to The Blade.”

“Woo!” Pidge yelled grinning, “Screw those filthy emotionless piles of purple.”

Shiro gave her a look.

Pidge muttered an apology.

“And— I’m going home. Because honestly, this whole thing is quiznacking exhausting, and I would like to spend time with my boyfriend.”

“You’re dating?” Lance asked, smiling, “Who? Can I interrogate them? Is it a blade, it’s probably a blade.”

“It’s Keith,” Lulio said with a straight face.

Keith watched the chaos. Shiro actually knocked over his coffee, Hunk’s eyes shot wide open, Pidge glared and Lance’s face fell.

“Huh?” Lance asked, looking at Keith, then back at Lulio, then at Keith again, who facepalmed.

“Are we dating?” Keith asked, “That’s news to me. Congrats.” He said flatly and Lulio smiled.

“Clearly, were you not there when I confessed my undying love for you?”

“Apparently not,” Keith had the same emotion as a block of cheese in his voice and Lulio was grinning maniacally, “Was that before or after the makeout session.”

“Okay,” Lance said, “We get it, it’s a bit, never happened. Now Lulio stop flirting with Keith. Keith, don’t indulge him.”

“Oh I’ll indulge him alright—”

Pidge threw food goo at him, which Keith managed to duck as he laughed, throwing his head backwards as Lulio also laughed as hard. Collapsing over the table as he hit the table with his fist as he laughed.

Lance did not look amused.

Shiro was trying to hide his smile behind a closed fist.

Hunk just looked tired.

That was code for Keith having the best time of his life and judging by Lulio laughing just as hard, he was having a pretty good time too. 

“So,” Lance said, glaring at Keith, then looking at Lulio. “When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow, I’m not sure. I have a couple of things I want to do, so I won’t be in Dubux for a while… my replacement is more competent than me anyway, I’m still having my rebellious stage.”

Everyone looked at him curiously.

“I’m going to kick ass on Elkarla. Look a bit deeper into buyers from surrounding planets, while I don’t doubt your hacking skills Pidge, some people are smarter than that, and don’t have any records that you can digitally trace back.”

“Is that a challenge?” Pidge started.

“No, no. Technically I don’t exist, the records of my birth never got digitised. Which is why I’m a perfect blade member. Nothing can be traced back to you if you don’t exist, I’ll have to exist when I take the throne though.”

“Right.” Hunk nodded like he understood what was going on.

“So. There. I’m going to kick ass on Elkarla. For a bit, I have a couple people who I reckon are gonna help me out,” he smiled slyly. “This is never happening again,” he looked at Keith. “I’ll punch someone for you.”

“Thank you,” Keith smiled.

“Ugh.” Pidge muttered, pointing a finger at Lulio. “Remember what I told you.”

“Noted.” Lulio muttered, looking back down at his food goo. “Shiro. I have something very important to say.”

“Mhmm?” He asked, not looking up.

“Okay,” he turned to Lance. “You didn’t think to warn me!” He yelled. “Lance! A man with the face of all the deities of beauty combined is on the ship and you never thought of warning me! That is cruel! Look at that man,” he gestured at Shiro exaggeratedly, “He is so attractive! It is a crime.”

Shiro was just looking at him blankly.

“Look at this man’s face, find a single flaw. Find one. I dare you! This is blasphemy and you’re banned from Dubux!” Lulio glared at Shiro, “You are disgustingly beautiful.”

“Thanks?”

“No! Not thanks! Everyone else has a not-so attractive feature about them. Like Lance’s ears are gross.”

Lance covered his ears, looking away. 

“Even your ears are fine. What sort of freak of nature is that perfect!” Lulio grabbed Shiro by the shoulders, shaking him back and forth. “Even Keith! Who does have awful hair… but his face, his face!”

“Um… I feel uncomfortable.”

“You get used to it,” Shiro sighed, slightly tiredly. “Lulio. Calm down.”

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN WHEN YOU’RE OUT HERE SHOWING US UP BY EXISTING?”

“Okay,” Shiro stood up, “I’m going to throw myself out the airlock—”

“Shiro!” 

“Do a flip!” Pidge yelled, instead of ‘Shiro’ like the rest of them and everyone looked at Pidge. Who shrugged. “Shiro!” She said half-heartedly.

The door opened and Allura stood in the doorway, her arms crossed and her eyes landing directly on Keith and Keith glared.

“Put the eye daggers away,” Allura muttered. “I am sorry. For all I said, it was wrong and cruel and unjustified and I didn’t mean any of it. You’re a good leader, for all your flaws.”

“Thanks?”

“You are. You’re a good person, a good friend and a great leader.” Allura smiled slightly, almost coyly. “However we still have a problem, we need to pick up allies and quickly.”

“Oh God,” Hunk muttered.

Coran burst in and Lotor was shuffling behind him like a slightly lost puppy. His eyes darting up and down, then all around the room, as he awkwardly stood slightly away from everyone else. Before settling on looking down.

Two swords hung from his belt. A dark purple one, and an aqua blue one. Both had some words that Keith couldn’t read, but knew the purple sword was Altean and the aqua sword was Galran.

Nice. Okay then.

Coran grinned brightly, holding his arms out, either side of him. His smile was big enough to split a mirror in half. 

Keith winced, ready to brace for impact.

“Lance gave me this idea,” he shot a smile at Lance who looked even paler and slightly horrified. “He called it…”

“Oh Lord,” Pidge muttered, pushing her glasses up.

“A press tour!” Coran said.

“Oh. Dear Lord. Please no,” Keith muttered and Lulio roared with laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes I can not believe the stuff I write. This chapter before it had a proper name was named: the one where keith has t r a u m a... so that's what that says about that.
> 
> This may have more chapters than four. It depends how much fun I have writing the press tour and how long I spend vibing with the characters. Right now assume four chapters, but that could change to five. Because I LOVE writing less stressful situations.
> 
> I will give you my favourite quotes from this chapter, feel free to put your own or agree or whatever in the comments below!
> 
> **' “I’m not a child! Any childhood I had left died with Mio!” '**
> 
> **' "Wow! What gave it away? The fact I am about to have a mental breakdown? Personally that kinda gave it away for me.” '**
> 
> **' “We care about you. Let us care. You’re not Atlas.” '**
> 
> **' “‘ _You’ll rise above_ ’.” '**
> 
> **' He wasn’t going to use the same swords that… he did. Not anymore. '**


	3. questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! After a long break, of me mainly wasting away I'm back.
> 
> This chapter was two months in the making, but don't get your hopes up. It's unapologetically bad. Only 8000ish words, instead of the 12000ish I averaged on the last two chapters. But hey... after a break it ain't half bad.
> 
> No trigger warnings / content warnings. There is some talk of death and lots of bantering.
> 
> Enjoy this lighter chapter after the pain I've hit you with!

“A press tour,” Lance repeated, swinging at Keith, who ducked underneath his sword and swung. Clashing his sword with Lance’s who grit his teeth and pushed back against the bind. “It’s not the worst idea we’ve had.”

Keith stepped back, blocking Lance’s hit as Lotor nodded along in the background. His eyes watching every moment of their fight.

“We’re not celebrities.”

“We kinda are,” Lance rolled to the side, landing on his feet and transforming his bayard into a blaster and aiming at him as Keith brought up his bayard, using his sword to deflect the blaster with an echo.

Keith pointed the sword underneath Lance’s chin, and Lance sighed. “I knew I was too close,” he dropped his bayard, putting his hands in the air. 

A cheeky smile taking over his face, as Keith pointed the sword at him. “You’ve been played Keithers.”

“Oh?” Keith raised an eyebrow, also smiling widely. “Is that right? How have I been played? Explain to me Lance.”

“You see, what you forgot is—” there was a flash of red light and Lance had his blaster pointing at Keith’s throat. “Bayards can teleport and dropping it meant I could get it into my closer hand.”

“Hmm,” Keith hummed, pretending he was thinking, when really he already knew how this was going to go. “I propose that we call a truce.”

“Oh? Do you now?” Lance asked, his tone dropping into a sultry low one and if Keith was much weaker he would’ve fell for it. “What do I gain out of this truce?”

Fine. Keith could also play this game.

He dropped his tone into the gravelly Galra one, which he was still mastering, adding some Southern in there for good measure. “C’mon, whatsa matta with this? I step back and’cha get what’cha want.”

“Oh,” Lance’s eyebrows shot up. “We’re playing this game. Then? Déjame ir ahora mismo, gilipollas de pelo feo. Antes de lanzarte a través de la pared.” He all but purred, and Keith kept his face neutral.

“You called me an ugly haired asshole,” Keith deadpanned. “That’s not gonna work dumbass.”

“Well… I tried,” Lance sighed, removing his blaster and Keith slowly removed his sword. 

Faking a turn around, before there was a flash of red.

Keith didn’t even turn around fully, absent-mindedly blocking the swing and he slowly looked at Lance. “Seriously? You really think that—”

“Good job,” Lotor said to the pair of them, “Lance you’re improving more and more every time.” He didn’t smile, but Keith could hear the smile in his voice. “You’ll be better than him in no time.”

Lance waved his middle finger in Keith’s face, and Keith slapped his arm away.

Lotor sighed, “I am going to go.” He left the room.

Keith was being tackled to the floor before Lotor had even left the room. Lance landed on top of him, managing to pin his hands and arms down to the floor above his head before he could even think.

For a moment he just stared up at Lance, who’s eyes were bright and there was a cheeky, boyish smile on his face, as he looked down on Keith.

He could get up.

He wasn’t going to.

Lance wasn’t overly closer, they’d been closer before. This felt different. 

Then they were close.

Lance moved forward, so their noses were basically touching, with maybe an inch between them and Keith just stared up at him. Not quite sure what to do, or even say. Lance smiled slightly more.

“Say I’ve won.”

“What? No? You ambushed me.”

“Well then I’m just smarter than you,” Lance argued. One of his hands were pinning Keith’s arms. The other one was next to his head, as he looked down and smiled. 

Keith looked away, pointedly turning his face and Lance laughed. Rolling his eyes and resting his cheek against the floor. Not looking at Lance at all, not even allowing him the chance to do whatever he was planning.

Lance was just laughing, still sitting on top of him and shaking from that laughter. 

The hand which had been next to his head was covering his mouth as he laughed silently, shaking still and smiling from behind his hand in a way that made his entire face light up.

It was still quiet, and Lance was still laughing. His head dropped like the weight of holding it was too much. His hair against Keith’s chest as he laughed still. 

He eventually managed to get it together, with only a few small chuckles. Before sitting up properly, still with Keith’s arms pinned down.

“You can get up,” Lance said. “I know you can.”

“You can get off,” Keith returned.

“Touché, touché,” Lance muttered.

Neither of them moved. Lance just stayed there, breathing softly, looking down at Keith, who was also just sitting there. Quietly watching Lance, and all of the things that made him, him.

Freckles, bright blue eyes, brown skin, his impossibly long eyelashes. All the features that Keith didn’t admire much, because he never had the chances to. Like the freckle on his ear, making it look like that ear was pierced.

Or how there was a small scar next to his nose, barely notable. “Where did you get that?” Keith breathed out, trying to sound like this was all fine, when really it wasn’t. They were close.

Really close.

“Hmm?”

“The scar, next to your nose.”

“Oh.” Lance’s face broke into a huge smile, showing off the slightest dimples, and somehow Keith became even more gay. He didn’t think that was possible. But turns out it was, with a soft sigh his eyes flickered down to Lance’s lips then back up again.

He wasn’t going to do anything. Despite how much his brain was screaming at him.

“Marco scratched me, it wasn’t a deep cut or anything. Just one that scarred.” He smiled, “What about that one?” He touched a scar just above Keith’s eyebrow and Keith’s eyes fluttered closed for a second at the touch. “What happened?”

“Um,” he said, because his brain wasn’t quite working at the moment and needed a small reboot.

They were so close.

“I— um— the—” his brain  _ really  _ wasn’t working at the moment. “I— wait. Oh, I landed— uh— against a dumpster and cut it open.”

“How?”

“Just did,” Keith muttered, “Some kid pushed me and I didn’t catch myself in time. That never happened again. I broke my wrist next time though, some dodgy guy in an alley fixed it up.”

“So… you lived on the streets for a year?

“Yes? You know this, it’s a well known fact about me.” 

“No one knows what happened,” Lance said, “I asked Shiro, he said you never talked about it.”

“Correct.”

“Why?”

“Because it wasn’t a good time,” Keith defended, scowling slightly. “I enjoyed nothing about it.”

“Nothing?”

“Huh?”

“You must’ve liked something, you survived a long time. It must’ve been off someone’s kindness or something.”

“I liked the churros that I’d get for free every morning,” Keith muttered, “Sometimes they were my only food. I don’t like churros that much anymore, they remind me of everything.”

“See,” Lance smiled, “There are some good things. Sure, it was a shit run, but not everything was that bad. You survived, that’s always good.”

“Yeah… I guess everything made me tougher.”

“You didn’t need to be tougher,” Lance whispered, “You were a baby… I mean, you’re probably right. But you shouldn’t have needed to be tougher.”

“I know.”

Lance didn’t say anything, and Keith let his eyes travel up the scar on his face. It was on the left side of his face, a thin line going from his chin to just below his left eye.

It was from a fight with Shiro. When his body got taken over, it was a whole other story.

But it ended up giving Lance a scar on his face, one that Keith could ignore most of the time, but other times, like right now. It stood out like blood on snow, he looked at it, and Lance noticed, because he slapped a hand to his face.

“Don’t look at it. I know it’s gross.”

“It’s not that gross,” Keith said, “Anyways, not everything about you needs to be perfect. You’re human, and that’s a spoil of war, I guess,” he sighed, smiling up at Lance. Who smiled back down at him.

They were close.

If Keith was a bit stronger he’d kiss him, or if he was weaker, he’d also kiss him. But he wasn’t either of those things, and was perfectly happy to be neither of those things and instead just be there.

“I—” Lance took a deep breath, looking away then looking back at Keith. “Keith I— need to talk with you. After Zarkon’s gone.”

“Talk?” Keith repeated and Lance nodded. “You can just say it now.”

“Nah,” Lance shook his head, still smiling. “After Zarkon.”

“That could be years.”

“I’ll wait.”

“Then I will too.” Keith said, despite the silent panic bubbling in his panic.

What did Lance need to say? Not that badly, but still needed to, if he set a time for it and everything. 

All Keith could do was nod.

The mechanical sound of a door opening, Lance squealed and Keith pushed him off.

“Sup Gerard Gay and Bi-Himself,” Pidge said before the door was fully open.

She stepped in not looking up from her tablet. “So you two are paired up for all the interviews that we have lined up… that’s the easiest bit. Hunk and I are paired up, Allura and Shiro are paired up and Coran is staying here with Lotor. Anything doesn’t sit right?” She looked up.

“Wait. Hold up,” Lance said, “Interviews? When?”

“Okay, so. Coran really doubled down on this whole press tour thing. Shiro also loved the idea, Lotor and Allura listen to whatever Coran says and so with the combined power of the four of them they got interviews set up.”

“Right.”

“Then a couple of dinners and balls. Dust off your formal outfits, fellas. A group interview at the end… then some signings and panels… I guess that’s what they are. Coran wants us to do vlogs—”

“Do we get time to breathe?”

“Which he’s currently setting up, advice to the future generations or whatever… um… we have several meetings lined up, thank you Allura, and we’re all getting public relations training and how not to be assholes. Keith you have two more of those lined up than anyone else—”

“When do we sleep?”

“Next movement a few more interviews… and a party on Olkarion and then,” she sighed. “Then the musical.”

“The what?” Lance asked, and Keith resented the way his eyes lit up. “A musical? We’re watching a musical.”

“We are the musical.” Pidge deadpanned and Lance squealed into his hand, hopping up and down on his feet. Keith sighed.

“Who am I blaming?”

“Shiro,” Pidge sighed, pushing up her glasses. “He was listening to Come From Away, and Coran asked what it was. Then Shiro explained the concept of a musical, which is great. Apart from the fact only you can sing.”

“Keith can sing,” Lance said and Keith glanced at him.

“I don’t sing.”

“What? Yeah you do, you can do the raps from Hamilton. I’ve heard you do Guns and Ships without stuttering once.”

“I can say words quickly, it’s a Southern thing. I am not rapping in front of anyone who isn’t on this ship right now.” Keith deadpanned, glaring at Lance.

“Hunk and you can sing pretty well, sure, you can’t belt, or hit notes that would make Whitney Houston shake—”

“You’re not that good—” Keith said and Lance scowled.

“But you can carry a tune well enough. It’ll be fun people!”

“It won’t.” Pidge and Keith said in sync. Lance rolled his eyes.

“Vamos pendejos,” Lance said, smiling.

“What did he say?” Pidge whispered, fully aware that Lance could hear her.

“Come on assholes,” Keith whispered back.

“Why do you know Spanish?”

“I know swear words,” Keith said and Lance gave a smile. “I learnt them because he kept calling me a ‘maldita cara de cerdo’ which means a damn pig face and I wanted to argue back.”

“Tu cara es tonta,” Lance said, smiling and Keith rolled his eyes.

Okay. He really didn’t know that much Spanish. His Spanish experience was picking it up at homes, learning it at the school he went to before The Garrison, and listening to Lance speak it and learning how to speak arguments back.

“Um…” he thought for a moment. “Eres tremenda comemierda.”

“Eso es rudo. Vete a la mierda.”

Out of that Keith got, ‘rude’ and a swear word. He glared at Lance who glared back.

Pidge cleared her throat and gave Keith a look. “Anyway, that’s all… first politeness lesson is in a varga. Be there or Allura will kill you. Now go back to whatever you were doing,” she turned around, before glancing over her shoulder. “Oh. By the way, there are cameras in here—”

Keith felt himself turn bright red.

“For the wedding!” She said loudly and Keith looked down at the floor.

Lance was also looking at the floor. “Uh—” he looked at Keith before looking away just as quickly. “Uh… yeah, okay, bye! See you at that thing!”

Then he rushed out, and Keith sighed, trying to stop his face from being beetroot red.

* * *

There were too many spoons.

Was Keith crying over spoons?

Yes.

Was Pidge also crying over spoons?

Also yes.

“There are so many!” She yelled, tears in the corners of her eyes, slamming a spoon onto the table.

Shiro, Hunk and Lance could apparently handle this. Hence why they weren’t here anymore, Shiro had done perfectly, Hunk and Lance had taken a bit longer.

Leaving Pidge and Keith. Having a meltdown.

“Why are there so many? A dog can hold this one! Why are there dog spoons?” She held a spoon between two fingers. “There are too many!” She flopped onto the table.

Allura looked at them blankly. “There are five.”

“Five too many!” Pidge yelled, wiping at her eyes, “Why are there so many? You don’t need five forks, knives and spoons and what are these?” She gestured at the other piece of cutlery, which were basically chopsticks.

“They’re basically chopsticks,” Keith deadpanned, but still had his head cradled in his hands. 

Lotor walked in, looking curiously at Keith and Pidge. Slowly walking over to the kitchen, his eyes still on them as he left the room.

Pidge threw a fork, as Lotor walked out again. Still looking cautious and with his shoulders hunched, he didn’t drag his swords around with him anymore, but he probably had some sort of knife on him.

He glanced at the cutlery, then at Allura, half a snack-bar in his mouth. “This is simple— you go left then right, then work your way to the middle switching left and right.”

“Huh?” Allura asked and Lotor walked between Pidge and Keith. Sliding the forks in front of himself, looking up then down again.

"If you number them one to five, left to right," Lotor gestured at the forks. "You go, one, five, two, four, three." He pointed at each fork as he said the numbers. 

Keith stared at the forks for a long moment. "Holy shit." He muttered, "Holy shit! Lotor!"

"Um?"

"You're a genius!" Pidge yelled standing up and hugging Lotor around the middle, who froze completely. "I will arm wrestle Zarkon right now for you."

She didn't let go, and Lotor was still frozen. "Uh— don't do that."

Pidge let go, sticking the finger at Allura. "There's a way to remember bitch!"

Allura sighed, sitting down at the table.

Lotor smiled, it was slightly awkward and strained, but still a smile. 

With another sigh Allura stood up, shaking her head slightly. “Pidge, you can leave, Keith, I want to talk to you.”

They hadn’t talked since Allura had yelled at him, and then given a half-assed apology, but since they were kinda preoccupied by other things. Mainly flirting with Lance… which seemed to be going quite well, all things considered.

Keith didn’t move, Pidge gave him a look, curiosity written across her features. Keith waved a hand, meaning that he was okay and she gave a curt nod before walking away and Lotor followed after her.

Not unlike a nervous puppy, he trailed after Pidge.

Allura sat down again, both her hands clasped and resting on the table. Keith sat there, looking unimpressed as Allura took a deep breath.

“Keith. I am sorry for the way I acted— it was unacceptable.”

“You say that a lot,” Keith deadpanned and Allura winced slightly.

“I do… a lot,” Allura admitted, “And everytime it is just as bad, and every time I am just as sorry. Keith. You’re a good leader, whether you like that or not, you work well with everyone on the team and are awfully loyal, you wouldn’t betray us if the entire universe was on the line, and I can’t say that about many other people.”

Allura laughed, a huff of breath really. 

“That can be dangerous,” Allura added, grinning slightly. “But it’s one of your greatest strengths.”

Keith smiled, rolling his eyes slightly. “Thanks ‘Lura.”

“Anytime, Keith,” Allura smiled back, “Keep your head on your shoulders,” she said, “Don’t try and stab or punch anyone and you’ll be alright.”

“Okay then.” Keith rolled his eyes again and Allura just smiled at him. He paused, “Did you plan for Lance and I to be paired together for all the interviews?”

Allura smiled widely.

“I hate you.” Keith deadpanned. 

“No you don’t,” she smiled a bit wider, and Keith glared. “You’ll thank me at the wedding.”

“Alteans don’t even have marriage,” Keith deadpanned. “Why do you know what that is?”

Allura winked.

Keith actually threw a chair.

* * *

“So,” Allura clapped her hands together. Pacing up and down in front of the lot of them. “All of you have a bodyguard with you, even if I know you can all defend yourself. They’re going to lead you around, I’ve sent your itinerary to your gauntlets.”

Keith glanced down at his gauntlet, then back up at Allura.

“Coran will be here. With Lotor.”

Lotor gave a slightly awkward wave and Keith gave an equally awkward wave back.

Allura face palmed.

“Alright,” Allura muttered with a soft sigh, “Keith, you’ve lost talking privileges.”

“What?”

“No more talking.”

“What—”

Going to the planet, which did have a name, but Keith had forgotten that was weird. The planet was made of lights, and seemingly cameras everywhere, an entire planet for broadcasting.

Lance kept staring at everything, and Keith had to yank him away.

They met up with the “bodyguards” even though Keith could probably defend himself and Lance better than that anway. The bodyguard, who’s name was Carl. 

Carl. The alien bodyguard with neon blue skin was named Carl. Which added so many more questions.

Keith crossed his arms, glancing at Lance, who glanced back at him.

Neon lights flashed everywhere, people rushed around carrying what looked like various equipment as they ran around, avoiding Keith, Lance and Carl… with ease that could’ve only been learned.

“So,” Carl said, “You’re in studio 32-ATI. I suppose you don’t know where that is… follow me,” Carl moved in front of them, and Keith followed after him, dragging Lance who was looking at some flashing neon lights.

“Keith!” Lance whispered in awe. “This is awesome!”

“Have you ever been to a city at night?” Keith whispered back, with a bit more force.

Lance stared at him. 

Keith blinked twice.

“You, what?” Keith muttered, “Holy shit, okay, you need to go to a city at night, it’s a whole other thing—”

Lance grinned, “You gonna come with me?”

“No.” He snapped, “Well… maybe, shut up, let’s go.” He pulled on Lance’s sleeve and caught up to Carl, walking behind him, avoiding people with the same skill that all of the techies had seemed to learn.

Lance kept running into people, and apologising profusely. So Keith managed to get Lance in front of him, so that Carl could clear a path and Keith could drag Lance out of the way of all of the disgruntled— probably underpaid— tech people.

A huge studio loomed ahead of them, a white brick looking thing, with golden patterning on it. Around the doors, and windows and twirling around the building, Keith stared at it.

Carl sighed, and kept walking, forcing Keith to stumble forwards into the studio.

The studio was huge. With the stage-looking situation being about one third of the space. Various beeping things were hung over the stage, facing towards three seats. Two on one side, and one on the other.

Right. So they’d be sitting on the right side then. 

Keith glanced around at the techies. Some of them were talking to Carl, just casually, as Carl nodded and a few moments later walked up to the pair of them. “We’re broadcasting in one dobash and twenty-seven ticks.”

He strode past them, giving a sweeping gesture at the two seats. Which Keith took, Lance took the one next to him… which considering that was the only other seat. Made sense.

What made less sense was Lance moving the chair closer.

Right.

Okay then.

This was fine.

People rushed around, and Lance bounced his leg.

Keith looked at him and he stopped, muttering an apology under his breath and Keith shook his head.

A short alien, with lilac skin and one eye walked over to the seat in front of them. Smiling at them… or at least what looked like a smile, and a threatening one at that, they showed off two rows of needle-sharp teeth.

Cool. Keith was probably going to get his throat ripped out with those.

“Hello,” the alien said, “I am Jerry.”

“Jerry—”

Lance glared at him.

Keith closed his mouth.

“Lance,” he said, gesturing at himself, “My buddy here’s Keith, he’s lost talking privileges.”

“I can talk, thank you very much.” Keith argued, kicking Lance in the shin who yelped and turned to him, both fists up. “Fight me. We both know who’ll win—”

“Twenty ticks, until broadcasting!” Someone announced and Lance put his fists down, but still glared a considerable amount.

The alien, Jerry— why did the aliens here have normal names— Carl, Jerry… what was next? Bob? Grinned at one of the seemingly many cameras pointed at them. 

“Hello, welcome back to ‘Chats From Around The Universe’, I’m your host Jerry and today… today we have two  _ very  _ special guests. You wouldn’t be able to guess them if you tried, and boy, did you all try to guess who we had on today.”

Keith crossed his arms, and Lance’s leg started bouncing again. More frantically this time, and Keith couldn’t find it in himself to tell Lance off.

“Today… we somehow managed to get, everyone’s favourite paladins… The Black Paladin and The Red Paladin! Keith and Lance, welcome to the show!”

“Hey,” Lance said, with finger guns at the camera. Keith was more than happy to let Lance do all of the talking. “The name’s Lance, and I’m The Red Paladin… technically. It’s complicated, and that’s Keith.”

“Good introduction,” Jerry said, and he’d gotten a tablet from… somewhere. “For an icebreaker, tell me something about the other.”

  
“Lance can sing.” Keith deadpanned, and he felt Lance cringe next to him and used his best poker face to stop himself from laughing loudly. That was going to ruin the brand. “And he pretends he can dance.”

“Okay,” Lance held a hand to his chest, deeply offended. “That is a personal attack, I can dance very well you—”

Keith just smiled, covering his mouth with his hand as throwing his head back. Lance glared at him, but it was a bit softer than normal. 

Clapping his hands together he looked at the camera, giving his very Lance-persona look, looking slightly amused but pissed at the same time. He wildly gestured at Keith, “This is Keith everyone, he gets nervous whenever someone gives him a compliment.”

“I don’t—”

“Keith, you’re a good leader and a good fighter.”

“Lance—”

“And he gets very flustered whenever someone flirts with him.”

“That’s just not true—”

“And whenever someone tells him he’s attractive he threatens to murder or casue bodily harm to them.”

“No? That’s just not—”

“Also! Another fun fact about our boy Keith, is that he can’t say the word squirrel. That’s an animal on Earth and when he’s stressed his accent gets heavier.”

“Okay. That’s true—”

“He’s also has a freakily low voice in the morning and when he gets pissed off he’ll flay his arms around in a way that .”can rival Pidge—”

“Okay. Stop exposing me like this.”

“When he’s upset he flips things over.”

“Lance snores.”

“Keith sleeps like a corpse. He doesn’t move or make a sound.”

“Lance hasn’t shut up for once in his life.”

“Keith can’t have any citric food.”

“Lance has the spice tolerance of a white, middle age woman.”

“When Keith was thirteen—”

Keith hadn’t moved that fast in his life.

He slapped his hand over Lance’s mouth. Grinning at Jerry and at the camera. “Nope. We’re introduced.”

Lance was laughing, into Keith’s hand. Removing his hand, Keith promptly hit Lance in the side of the head who yelped and went to swing back at Keith.

Jerry cleared his throat, and the pair of them snapped out of it.

“Right… that’s Keith and Lance everyone! For anyone tuning in just now, Lance is on the left and Keith is on the right. Our black and red paladins respectively.”

Lance waved, Keith glared.

Jerry smiled, looking at the tablet which he had gotten from nowhere. “So, the viewers can send in their questions on the symbol on screen, just send in your question by scanning that so you can ask our wonderful paladins a question. And we have one here… one of our viewers ask…”

That pause was one of the most terrifying Keith had felt.

Jerry left, “Do you have time for dating?”

“No.” Lance said bluntly.

“I have too many commitment issues,” Keith deadpanned, in the exact same tone that Lance had just used.

Lance snorted and Keith rolled his eyes.

“Want to hear a story about when Keith was eleven and someone asked—”

“Nope.” Keith interjected, putting a hand over Lance’s mouth. “We’re not doing that.”

“We can’t tell the entire universe about your commitment issues?” Lance asked, false disappointment in his voice. “Aw… damn.”

Keith rolled his eyes. Again. 

“No,” Lance said, “We don’t have time for dating, even if we did— that’s a liability too much sway over someone. If someone we were dating died or got kidnapped… that’s terrifying. So no outsiders.”

“Outsiders?” Jerry asked, looking smug and Keith wanted to throw something at him. “Does that imply that you’d date someone in your group?”

“Aha.” Lance deadpanned, glaring in a way that made Jerry’s face drop and Keith himself feel terror shoot through him.

Okay that look was new and terrifying and weirdly attractive—

No. Not going there.

“Also,” Keith added, and Lance glanced at him, “Dating people isn’t all that relevant to this.” He deadpanned, before looking right at the camera. Giving his most threatening look he could give. “So don’t ask.”

“Rightio,” Jerry said, “You heard it here first.”

Lance nodded and huffed, giving a curt nod at Keith. 

“Another question,” Jerry winced slightly, “Which you don’t need to answer. What’s the hardest part of being a paladin?”

“Um.” Lance said, like the true intellect he was. “I— it’s basic. But it’s that you can’t save everyone. You’ve never been able to save everyone, and you just can’t. Keith might agree, he might not.”

“That’s difficult,” Keith stared over Jerry’s shoulder, before looking away and snapping back. “Not knowing.”

Jerry raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in his chair. “What do you mean not knowing?”

“Not knowing anything,” Keith crossed his arms, “Nothing’s stable. Nothing’s ever the same, and it’s a horrible feeling, just because being familiar with it doesn’t mean it isn’t as exhausting.”

“Familiar?” Jerry asked, continuing to lean forward and Keith leant backwards. “Why is instability familiar?”

_ No thank you. _

Keith’s arms tightened around himself, crossing them more, glaring slightly. “Your bones are about to become pretty unstable—”

“Okay,” Lance said, kicking Keith in the shin. “Jerry, I’m sure Keith and I would rather you not pry into our private lives.”

“Right, right, sorry.” Jerry muttered, and Keith would bet on everything he owned that Jerry just rolled his eyes.

Keith was going to— going to do something! Throw something, hurt someone, someone who was probably Jerry. Prying into everything… what sort of asshole—

_ Relax.  _ A thought that wasn’t his popped into his head, and Keith froze. Glancing at Lance who looked at him blankly, giving a short smile.

Right. Yeah… that. The whole soul-bonding thing, that was important.

Huffing, Keith crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair.

“So,” Lance grinned, “A fun story about Keith.”

“Lance.”

“One time we were on this mission, and he got ambushed.”

“You tell this story literally every time—”

“So, at this point I barely knew Keith. He was super reserved and guarded but was probably the funniest Keith that we’ve ever gotten. So there was this ravine right?”

“Again? You told this like three days ago, Pidge already knew the story you tell it literally every time we meet someone new—”

“I was hanging on the side of the ravine, on an edge. Right? And the Galra had just started running after Keith, as we were waiting for an extraction. Keep in mind, at this point, I barely know Keith. He’s been training and being emo, and I’m about to sit down and then I hear Keith.”

Keith groaned, facepalming and sighing. All in that order.

“ _ Lance, I need ya ta catch ma! _ ” Lance exclaimed in the worst Southern accent that Keith had ever heard. “Then I was all like  _ ‘what? No?’  _ Then I caught him and he popped out his shoulder.”

Jerry blinked.

“Let me get this right,” Jerry asked, leaning forwards. “You barely knew each other, any you threw yourself off a cliff and trusted that Lance was going to trust you.”

“I didn’t have a plethora of options,” Keith deadpanned. “As much as I wanted to plummet to my death—”

“Okay,” Lance interrupted. “We can all agree Keith trusted me because the other option was death. We’re very different now.”

  
“Somehow you managed to mature backwards.” Keith said, keeping the laughter out of his voice with some difficulty. Lance stared at him, with his mouth slightly parted. 

“Okay, idiot, I don’t see anyone asking you.”

Keith gave a half shrug and Lance sighed. 

“When did the trust really start?” Jerry asked, “When did you start feeling that you could trust each other with everything.”

“Probably…” Lance hummed, “When I was very injured and he kept me mostly calm, and got me back alive.”

“After you got stabbed like three times.”

“And you forfitted our chance at safety to get me medical help.”

“Shiro would’ve thrown hands if you died.”

“I do not believe that was your thought process.” Lance deadpanned, “You’ve never listened to Shiro once in your life.”

“He’s the only one I  _ consider  _ listening to.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Really? You listen to me.”

“Barely.”

“You sure about that?”

“Yeah, that’s one thing that I am sure about,” Keith laughed slightly, and Lance just looked curious. “I listen to you when you’re right.”

“Didn’t you eat an entire lemon because I told you to, and then vomited for three days straight?”

“But I won the bet.”

“There wasn’t a bet, you just wanted to prove me wrong.”

“I did prove you wrong.”

“You were hunched over a bucket for three days and I had to take care of you!” Lance yelled, before sighing and clapping his hands together. “I resent you.”

“I resent you too.”

Lance rolled his eyes, leaning forwards towards Jerry. Asking him for the next question without asking a question.

“Um…” Jerry glanced up slightly nervously, scrolling a bit more. “What’s the funniest story you have of the other one.”

“When Lance was four he jumped off a roof because he thought by flapping his arms he’d fly.”

“When Keith was seven he sat on the bottom of a pool long enough that the people taking care of him thought he was dead.”

“One time, Lance accidentally smashed a window and somehow got glass in his arm.”

“One time when Keith was like… eleven. A girl asked him on a date—”

“Lance—”

“And he turned around, looked over her shoulder and said ‘did someone say something?’”

“Lance! Fine. One time Lance asked out a girl who said ‘i’ll say yes once you can do a backflip’ and since Lance can do a backflip he did a backflip and then rejected the girl.”

“Keith impaled himself on his bayard!”

“Lance!” Keith yelled, choosing to tactically ignore the voice crack. “Fine. Lance keeps getting in front of various dangerous things for me, stop getting stabbed for me.”

“I’d get stabbed for you a thousand times, baby.”

“I’m older than you.”

“That’s the biggest issue you have with that statement?”

“It’s in the top three. Stop getting stabbed!” Keith huffed and glared slightly, before looking straight at the camera. “Lance loves getting stabbed, he does it about once every week. That’s if he’s lucky.”

“The alternative is that you get stabbed.”

“I can handle some light stabbing!”

“So can I!”

“I can handle it better.”

“You can not,” Lance scoffed, “You cry when you stub your toe.”

“That hurts!” Keith sighed, rubbing at his face. Glaring slightly at Lance. “Wait until we get home.”

“When we get home—”

Both of them froze. Lance hadn’t referred to The Castle as home. Ever. He’d refer to it as ‘The Castle’ and Keith would refer to it as home sometimes.

The panic that flashed across Lance’s face said it all. 

“Hunk will make milkshakes,” Keith finished, looking at Jerry expectantly. Who just looked at him blankly. “Jerry. Next question please?”

Jerry chuckled at one of the questions. “What’s your favourite food—”

“Next.” Keith said, surprising himself at his own lack of hesitation. “Mine’s churros. Next question.”

“What’s a defining point of your life?” Jerry asked.

It took Keith a very short amount of time to come up with an answer. “When my dad died.”

Lance snorted, before starting to splutter. Clutching his stomach. “That’s not funny— why am I laughing?” He laughed harder, and Keith watched Jerry’s horrified face. “I’m laughing because—” he wheezed.

Keith chuckled, laughing slightly as Lance turned red and looked like he was about to explode from laughter. 

“This— isn’t… funny!” Lance wheezed and Keith pat him on the back. 

Eventually Lance managed to get himself under control before they started some sort of other intergalactic war. Lance covered his mouth, snickering slightly and Keith sighed. Leaning against the arm of his chair, he watched Lance try to stop himself from laughing.

“I am so sorry.” Keith said to Jerry and glanced at the camera. “He just does this sometimes.”

Lance took a deep breath, sighing and laughing again.

“Again, I am so sorry for him.”

Lance cackled before making his face serious, and leaning forwards in his chair. Being serious finally, and not laughing in a way that could start a second intergalactic war. 

Something that they had almost done before.

Jerry nodded slowly, trying to make sense of it all. When no one could make sense of this, not even Keith. 

“What’s the most awkward situation you’ve been in?”

Keith huffed, “We almost started another intergalactic war one time. Another time I shattered our coalition—”

“We’re banned off two planets.” Lance added, “And I’m pretty sure we have a death warrant on another planet.”

“We have one on Gytry and we’re banned from Hunara… well I am and we probably shouldn’t go back to La-Kua or Odziz’s planet.” Keith muttered.

“That was awkward,” Lance muttered, “Basically, Keith punched a dude and now we don’t have an allyship with them.”

“We almost do,” Keith grumbled and Lance raised an eyebrow. “We do… we’re just not allowed to talk to anyone there.”

“Who else did we ruin an allyship with?”

“Half of the coalition,” Keith muttered and Lance rolled his eyes.

“Keith’s gone all emo,” Lance sighed, trying to ruffle his hair but Keith managed to duck out of the way. “He does that sometimes, apparently. It’s quite a problem. Like how he’s never had a good guacamole.”

“Dude. Don’t bring my personal life into this.”

“It’s a crime! Is what it is!”

“It’s just avocado.”

“Et tu, Brute?” Lance held a hand to his chest, “That’s like saying mac and cheese is just pasta and cheese.”

“It is?”

“That’s like saying most mexian food is the same thing rearranged in different ways.”

“It kinda is.”

“You come here. You personally attack my livelihood!”

“You also seem to think that pizza is some glorious creation.”

“Churros are your favourite food, shut up. If it wasn’t for my people!”

“You’re not Spanish or Portegese.”

“I speak Spanish, there has to be some Spanish blood there.”

“Don’t Cubans speak Spanish because of colonisation. Theoretically you might not be Spanish at all.”

“With all of that colonisation, the chances of me being Spanish are higher than yours.”

“I’m literally part G—” Keith cut himself off, and watched the panic in Lance’s eyes which were probably matched in his own. “Yup.”

“So stop dissing my people.”

“Your people?”

“Yup.”

“The filthy colonisers?”

“There are some benefits.”

“Like?” Keith asked, looking at Lance blankly.

“Churros.”

“And?”

“Um… Spanish is cool.” Lance reasoned.

“Anymore?”

“No.”

“That’s what I thought— oh shit.” At that moment, Keith had just remembered that he was on a TV show, and not that he was just on The Castle. That in fact, people apart from their team were watching them.

Well. That was slightly awkward.

Exchanging a glance at Lance he looked back at Jerry.

Who was smiling like a jackass.

Okay, Keith was going to murder this bitch—

_ Don’t murder anyone.  _ A voice that sounded annoying like Lance’s popped into his head.  _ I know you can hear me jackass. _

_ Fuck off,  _ he replied and watched Lance glare at him.

So that was apparently something they could do now. Great. Fantastic. The best time to discover that. 

“Now,” Jerry looked at the camera. “We have the opportunity for three viewers to get these two to ask whatever questions they want, and you have to answer boys. No skipping questions anymore.”

_ Gee. Whatever will they ask?  _ Lance’s voice popped into his head again.

_ Fuck off, Lancelot.  _ He responded.

“Right,” Jerry grinned, “The first question comes from our viewer Lyterri Omawel Poiyotire Qwuartay Lionndie Faoolle Werrtuppettle.”

“Rolls of the tongue,” Lance muttered, “And I’ve heard some long names—”

“Be quiet.”

“Yes, Keith.”

“And they’re asking if—”

A blue face, which was triangle shaped, rocked up on the screen. Grinning slightly, with hair in a mohawk situation. 

“Hello! Lyterri!” Jerry grinned, gesturing at Lance and Keith. “Shoot for it, your question. You get a chance to talk to some of your heroes.”

“Heroes is a strong word—” Lyterri started and Keith threw his head back laughing. “Kidding, kidding.” She grinned and Keith didn’t need to look at Lance to know he was grinning too. “Everyone keeps asking these really heavy questions, or at least trying to get deep answers out of you. So I’m going to cause some drama. Who’s your favourite member of the team?”

Lance laughed a bit more, his head was still thrown back.

“That’s a fantastic question,” Lance said grinning still. “I have two answers prepared for you, Lyterri. Would you like the honest one or the funniest one.”

“Funniest.” Lyterri was still grinning.

“Keith.” Lance said flatly.

“Wha—”

“What about you, Keith?” Lyterri asked.

Which was a great question, but Keith’s brain had short-circuted.

“Honest or funniest?” Keith asked, having rebooted his brain.

“Funniest.”

“Lance.” Keith deadpanned. “He’s just so amazing and skilled at everything he does and has never made a mistake in his life.”

“Oh? We’re doing this?” Lance asked.

“What’s  _ this  _ exactly?”   
  


Jerry’s eyes went wide with fear, which was fair enough. He’d been looking pretty fearful the entire time.

Lyterri was dying of laughter in the background and their laugh was so contagious that Keith was also smiling.

“I don’t think we’re doing this,” Lance said and he was smiling.

“Thank you, Lyterri,” Jerry said, “Unless you have anything else to ask, we’re going to have to move on.”

“One last thing,” Lyterri said, smiling brightly. “Thank you for everything you’ve done, you’re changing the universe and that’s a huge burden and blessing. So from so many people, I’m saying thank you for all of them.”

“Thank you Lyterri,” Jerry said and their face closed off the screen. “The next person we have coming up is Porrett.”

A green circular face popped up on the screen, with wide pink eyes and with a huge smile that stretched across the screen. Slightly distorted and pixelated. 

“Hello, Porrett,” Jerry said with a large sweeping gesture. “You have the floor.”

“Hello!” Came a slightly squeaky voice. “Black Paladin.”

  
Lance elbowed him, like Keith didn’t know that was him.

“What’s it like leading.”

“Unique…” Keith said, wondering how often he was allowed to swear. “Really. I’ve never been much of a leader before this, I’ve never really had to be. I mainly had to look after myself and now it’s weird that I have other people whose safety I’m somewhat responsible for and all of the responsibility that comes with leading. If I’m being honest Lance leads just as much as me, and he’s much better at it—”

“I literally just translate you when you go country bumpkin in the morning.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Don’t understate your value.”

“Aw. You’re being all caring, on camera? Babe.”

“Don’t call me babe.” Keith scrunched up his nose, glaring slightly at

“That is not the worst thing I’ve called you.”

“You’re comparing me to a child.”

“You’re a bit of a child, so it works.” Lance shrugged.

“Also, Babe’s a pig. What are you implying McClain.”

“You know what I’m implying Kogane.”

“I will punt you through the window.”

“There aren’t any windows?” Lance looked around.

“Um.” Porrett said, more than slightly awkwardly. Clearing their throat and their eyes darted from side to side. “What’s been the biggest challenge in trying to do this whole leadership thing?”

Keith sighed. “Wrangling Lance. I’m not even kidding, I can play the leader card on literally everyone else. Even Allura and Shiro, who are both older than me. Pidge and Hunk listen to me generally and Coran will push my arguments with the reasoning I’m the leader but Lance—”

Lance grinned.

“The team has said I’ve gotten more mature and less reckless and impulsive. But Lance has only gotten more impulsive. He will not listen to me unless he thinks I’m right, it’s a nightmare. I say  _ no Lance don’t run into the building that’s going to blow up  _ and then he runs in there because he has less self preservation than me.”

“If it was that bad I’d listen to you.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Oh wow, what I feel like all the time. Mister, trying to single-handedly fight waves of Galra.”

“This is not turning into couples therapy.”

“We’re not a couple, so it’s just therapy.”

“Your face is just therapy.”

“What does that even—” Lance sighed, looking at Porrett. “I’d like to formally apologise for my partner—”

“No!” Keith shrieked, before slapping a hand over his mouth. “That implies we’re dating.”

“And you’d hate that wouldn’t you?”

“Yes!”

“Sure, sure,” Lance waved a hand. “Funny how I didn’t mean it like that but you implied it like that anyway.”

“Stop making people think we’re dating.”

“Anything for you babe.”

“I’m going to kill you.”

“Thank you, Porrett,” Jerry interjected. “Do you have any other questions?”

Porrett just blinked.

“No then. Thank you so much!” Jerry said with a massive grin.

Another face popped up on the screen.

It was Pidge.

That was easy enough to tell. It was Pidge, but disguised enough so that no one would know it was her. Unless you lived with her, and could see a huge smile behind the terrible beard she had on.

Fuck.

Keith was going to kill that gremlin child.

Pidge had a fake beard on, and giant glasses that almost hid her eyes. She was looking into the screen and gave a small wave. She was straight up in her bedroom, Keith could spy all of the papers hung up haphazardly.

When she moved slightly Keith saw the heavily pixelated pictures. He only knew what they were because he’d been in Pidge’s room before. One was of the team, they’d actually taken a good photo. The other was of her family.

She was not being subtle at all.

“Hello.”

Jerry was smiling.

He knew what was happening.

“Hey,” Keith said, and when Lance glanced at him he knew that Lance knew exactly what was happening. “What’s your name.”

The panic that flashed across Pidge’s face was amazing. Something Keith would cherish for the rest of his life.

“Um… Katie.” Pidge said.

“Wow,” Lance deadpanned, “Your name and room are almost the same as our good friend Pidge.”

“It’s amazing,” Keith also deadpanned. “In fact. That beard was on the couch from Shiro impersonating Gandolf this morning.”

“Oh yeah.” Lance said, “Hey Pidge. Nice to see you again.”

“Motherfucker,” Pidge muttered, ripping off the beard. “Hello audience. Keith and Lance, I have one very important question. Lance, where did you leave Hunk’s fancy alien knives?”

“I didn’t leave them anywhere,” Lance hummed, looking like he was thinking. “I don’t touch the fancy knives, I don’t cook.”

Keith had touched the knives.

They were in his room.

Keith had the space knives.

Hunk was going to murder him.

“Well the space knives are gone and you were the last one spotted with them when you cleaned them last knife.”

In Keith’s defence, him and Shiro wanted to try to play fruit ninja in real life. And only Keith had a sword, so they got the space knives.

Now they were resting in Keith’s room. On his desk.

“Um.” Lance said with a shrug. “I put them in the block, I dunno what to tell you.”

“Well all the footage is gone,” Pidge sighed, shaking her head slightly. “Someone deleted it, and I didn’t know anyone knew how to do that.”

Shiro did.

Hence why the footage was gone.

“It’s a mystery,” Keith said flatly. “Now go away.”

“Wow, you are moody.” Pidge tutted. “Okay, see you two soon.”

“See you,” Lance waved. “Don’t take the last of the food goo, Keith and I earned it because we won—”

“The alien game, I know,” Pidge sighed again. “Okay. Hunk could murder someone. I’ll try find them.”

“Good luck,” Lance waved and Pidge’s face popped off. 

Jerry stared for a long moment. Processing what just happened, before exploding with expressions and looking towards the camera again. Going into another spiel.

* * *

About seven vargas later. Keith was collapsed on Lance’s bed, with an empty container of food goo on it. Lance was also on the bed, lying on it like a human. While Keith was curled up at the end.

“They all asked the same questions,” Lance groaned, and Keith nodded from his ball. “How many times can I answer what my bayard can do?”

“Mmmm.” Keith said like the true intellect he was. 

“You really are like a cat,” Lance said and the fondness was clear in his voice. “I’m guessing you’re staying here tonight?”   
  


“You know me so well,” Keith muttered, it was weak with sleep furling around the edges. “There’s a reason I keep ya around.”

“I know,” Lance said, and his fingers found their way to Keith’s hair. Where they started tangling through some knots. “You’re okay.”

“Wow,” Keith giggled. He fucking giggled. That’s how tired he was. “You might as well confess your undying love for me at that rate.”

“Nah,” Lance said, his fingers untangling one bad knot. “I don’t think I will.”

“Pft.” Keith said, leaning into Lance. “Press tour,” he muttered. “We’re doing a fucking press tour.”

“We are.” Lance confirmed and although Keith couldn’t see it, he could feel the joker grin on Lance’s face. “That is something we are going to do.”

“So many interviews. Seven. Seven interviews and we signed things, my hand is so sore,” Keith complained, leaning his full weight into Lance. 

“I know.”

“My eyes are all blurry.”

“That’s because you’re exhausted.”

“I have work to do,” Keith tried to sit up, but Lance kept him on the bed.

“You need to sleep.”

“I gotta organise the thing, for the thing because of the thing.”

“I know, but you need sleep more. Don’t worry about it. The thing for the thing because of the thing will be organised.”

“Mmm.” Keith hummed.

  
  


And when he woke up in the morning.

It was done.

Lance looked slightly more tired than usual.

But neither of them said anything. Just thanks that couldn’t be expressed in words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Not great.
> 
> You may be asking what I've been doing this entire time. Which. Same. I have been doing the same thing, mostly watching YouTube and a couple of comments spurred me on to finally get this chapter finished. The effects of compliments. It's real.
> 
> So since I've been gone I've: got a girlfriend, got a leadership position in my school, volunteered for this project, and probably failed a science test. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, feel free to comment/kudos about opinions. I (think) I'm proper getting into writing again. So that should be fun.


End file.
